Hands on the Keyboard- A guide to preserving your wrists.

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You’ve probably been using a computer for over a few years. But take a second to jog your memory and remember the first time you ever used one. You might have had no idea where to place your arms and hands on the keyboard. It was probably difficult to get used to the mouse and how it magically controlled the pointer on the screen. You might have even picked up some less-than-favorable habits along the way (hopefully not).  Let’s go over some of the fundamentals of using a keyboard and mouse so that your arms and wrists won’t get strained! Firstly, you should be able to type and use the mouse with your upper arms down by your sides and both input devices (keyboard and mouse) close to your lap. Pretend your sleeves are attached to your shirt at your ribs. Secondly, your wrists should “float” above the keyboard, as if you were playing a piano. This promotes wrist health and proper positioning for minimum strain. If you have a wrist rest, be sure to only use it as its name suggests and do not type with your wrists resting squarely upon the wrist rest. Use the wrist rest to relax your wrists only after you’ve completed typing something particularly long-winded, for example.



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