There is a growing debate among ergonomics and occupational health experts about the real need for a wrist rest to perform computer keyboard and mouse work safely. One school of thought suggests that wrist rests help align the user’s hands and wrists when typing or scrolling, while another suggests that they may encourage users to relax their hand position too much while typing. Instead of decreasing the number and severity of carpal tunnel injuries, an improperly used break can cause more repetitive strain injuries (RSI) for those who type or use a mouse for long periods of time.
A wrist rest can be helpful in preventing hand and wrist fatigue while working on a computer.
A wrist rest, especially a gel one, is certainly better than no support at all. Without any support, a keyboard or mouse user tends to experience hand and wrist fatigue relatively early. Unsupported wrists and the bottom of the user’s hand can drop below keyboard level, which is an especially dangerous position for repetitive typing. The rest also provides a soft cushion for your wrists rather than an unforgiving table top or no surface at all.
Improper use of wrist rests can cause repetitive strain injuries in people typing for long periods of time.
However, one of the main concerns about using a wrist rest relates to the idea of the user resting their hands while actively typing or scrolling. Proper typing technique emphasizes the importance of bending or cupping your hands so that your fingers hit the keys at a downward angle. If the user’s wrists rest on a pad while they type, the fingers must reach the keys at a tighter angle. For this reason, many occupational health experts suggest using only a keyboard or mouse wrist rest between typing and mouse sessions. The user’s wrists must not touch the keyboard during active typing.
A laptop with a built-in palm rest.
The same philosophy applies to a mouse pad holder. A padded wrist rest can help keep the wrist in line with the hand, but the entire hand and wrist must move as a directed unit from the user’s shoulders. Shaking or pushing the mouse with just your fingers or wrist is considered inappropriate floating and can cause inflammation in your upper back and neck muscles. While carpal tunnel syndrome may be the most common office-related injury, the second most reported injury is an inflamed trapezius muscle, often caused by poor mouse movement techniques.
Carpal tunnel is the most common office-related injury.
Installing a palm rest for a computer keyboard or mouse isn’t inherently a bad idea, considering how uncomfortable it can be to have no wrist support at all. But if you plan on doing a lot of typing or mouse work, you can take a refresher course on proper typing and mouse techniques. Applying too much pressure to the bottom of your wrist can cause damage similar to carpal tunnel syndrome, and it can be difficult to resist pushing your wrist down onto the wrist rest while typing.
A wrist brace may be used to relieve pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.
