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Anyone who types a lot on the keyboard or works with a mouse probably knows the problems of a tense wrist. Or others are already struggling with a sharp pain in the wrist area, tendonitis.
The question legitimately arises whether ergonomic wrist rests can provide better ergonomics here and thus promote a correct keyboard posture or, at the same time, a correct mouse posture in order to avoid or even get rid of these ailments.
What is an ergonomically correct posture with a mouse or keyboard?
Basically, the issue here is that when typing or clicking the mouse, the wrist is in an unnatural position, bent, and can therefore cause pain. While this is not a problem in the short term, it can certainly have serious consequences in the long term.
To better answer the question, it makes sense to divide it into two groups for the following solutions:
- Ergonomically correct mouse posture
- Ergonomically correct keyboard posture
Ergonomically correct mouse posture
Meanwhile, there are completely different mice on the market. From top ergonomic vertical mice to conventional flat mice, all the way to the Apple Magic Mouse, you can find everything.
To ensure a correct posture with the mouse, there must be no angular strain. So when clicking, the forearm should rest on the table in such a way that the wrist is not bent upwards. A horizontal line must be created between the forearm and the mouse in order to speak of an ergonomically correct mouse posture.
With a vertical mouse, the wrist is already brought into a natural, horizontal position by the rotational position without any additional aids. Thus, the main problem is eliminated at the root and no additional external aids are needed!
With a conventional mouse, on the other hand, poor posture occurs much more quickly because the wrist rests flat on the table and is usually bent too far upwards when working with the mouse.
Here, wrist rests can do a great job and provide lasting relief for the wrists.
Ergonomically correct keyboard posture
The choice of keyboards is also huge nowadays.
A main difference lies not only in the length, but above all in the thickness of the keyboard.
Here, care should also be taken to ensure that the wrists are not bent when typing. This often happens with thicker keyboards when the forearms rest flat on the desk, forcing the wrists to tilt sharply upwards in order to type.
Some keyboards have additional feet, which, however, can increase the unnatural angle even further.
With a wrist rest, a good solution can usually be offered in all cases, guaranteeing the natural position of a horizontal line from the forearms, to the wrists, all the way to the keyboard.
There are also keyboards that already have an integrated wrist rest.
Ergonomic, split, or curved keyboards are also available, which may take some getting used to, but promote a natural posture and thus ensure better ergonomics.
What should you look for when choosing an ergonomic wrist rest?
Since there is a wide range of products available and many different designs can be purchased, you should definitely pay attention to these points:
- Material
- Hardness/Softness
- Thickness
- Freedom of movement
- Size
- Placement
- Combined solution
Material
The material, both for a mouse rest and a keyboard rest, consists in most cases of an outer fabric and an inner core.
The majority of these pads are covered with a synthetic fabric and have a gel filling.
Those who prefer something less synthetic can also find wrist rests made of natural fabric covers, such as cotton, linen, or the skin-friendly TENCEL fabric made from eucalyptus trees.
The inner core of this cushion is often made of gel, but can also be memory foam or small synthetic beads that adapt to the wrist. As a natural filling, there is millet chaff, which adapts ideally to the anatomy and has a climate-regulating effect.
If your hands sweat easily or you prefer climate-regulating rests, you should choose a hand rest made of natural outer material.
There are also variants with a washable outer cover, although a damp cloth is often enough to remove a lot of surface dirt.
Hardness/Softness
To ensure good blood circulation in the wrists, special attention should be paid to the softness of the support cushions. There are major differences here, and often the hand pads are too hard.
The ergonomically correct hand rest for the keyboard should bring the wrist into a horizontal position so that the correct keyboard posture can be adopted.
The same applies to the correct mouse posture, and attention must be paid to the size of the mouse so that the interaction with the wrist and forearm results in a horizontal line.
Certain filling materials, such as small pearls, beads, or millet chaff, create a slight massage effect when moving the wrist.
Thickness
There are also different dimensions in thickness. Here, it again depends on the existing mouse or keyboard how thick the rest should ultimately be. Find out exactly which dimensions are specified by the manufacturer and check them for compatibility with your devices.
Freedom of movement
Think carefully about whether you want to have the wrist rest always fixed in the same place or whether you prefer to work flexibly with it.
Many of the hand pads are not movable and remain fixed in the same position.
In office ergonomics, people are talking more and more about the importance of movement. This can certainly start on the desk surface, to move the keyboard in between or to be able to move freely in a certain area with the mouse. In this case, a movable pad would be desirable.
Such a detail can already be the first step towards better ergonomics when typing and clicking.
Size
They come in all shapes and sizes.
With the keyboard, pay attention to the length of the wrist rest. Especially if you have a numeric keypad integrated next to the letter keys. Make sure here that the wrist rest actually reaches your desired length.
To get the correct mouse posture with the wrist, the length is less important than the height, so that the wrist really rests horizontally when working with the mouse.
There are various shapes, although in many cases this is more a question of design and has less to do with ergonomics.
Placement
The wrist rest should be placed so that your pulse rests well on it, comfortably relieving your hand and forearm.
The keyboard or mouse is located a few finger-widths further forward, in front of the wrist rest.
Combined solution
You can buy keyboards that have an integrated wrist rest. However, this is usually hard plastic, which in turn can disrupt blood circulation or cause sweating. It would be ideal to test such a keyboard beforehand.
For ergonomic wrist rests for working with a mouse, there are combined solutions that integrate the mouse pad with the support cushion. The mouse pad was an important topic with earlier computer mice. But with the positive technological development of mice, this has lost its importance.
Laptop
With a laptop, it would be ergonomically correct to work with an external keyboard and an external mouse. The correct posture when typing and working with the mouse is not optimal with a laptop. This may be fine for short tasks, but if you work with a laptop for several hours, your body will soon adopt an unhealthy posture from typing and using the mouse.
If you do not want to use external input devices, at least a keyboard wrist rest should be used to ensure some support for the wrists. This also supports you when using the mouse.
Concluding Thoughts
For better ergonomics at your office workstation, a wrist rest offers a good and quick solution for both the mouse and the keyboard. Although it is not a miracle cure, you can still achieve a correct mouse posture or a correct keyboard posture without much effort. A wrist rest is therefore certainly a good preventive measure.
In any case, it should be noted that the main reason for tendonitis or general pain in the wrist is usually caused by long-term poor posture. Therefore, when using a wrist rest, care should still be taken to ensure that the wrists remain in a relieved and horizontal position even while typing and clicking.
To achieve better ergonomics, it is recommended to take short breaks in between and to change your work process slightly from time to time if possible. This reduces the strain on your wrists and leads to less joint fatigue, which in turn can increase your work efficiency.
If the topic of ergonomics in the office or home office appeals to you and you are interested in learning more, I can recommend my book "Wellness in the Office". Combined with humorous drawings, I share 50+1 tips to turn your office into a little paradise.
