Is your keyboard board position causing your neck pain?

Published in Keyboards on Tuesday, 03 February 2009
by Catherine Albert  |   Post RSS

How much strain can you get from the position of the keyboard you ask? Plenty is the answer. You would be surprised how many people sit with the keyboard to one side so they are permanently twisting their spine and reaching across their body which can lead to neck and shoulder pain

The first step is to make sure the keyboard is straight in front you to eliminate any twisting - but where exactly is straight in front of you, at the edge of desk, or back near the monitor?

Keyboard position to reduce neck pain.

The best position is to have the keyboard directly in front of you with enough space between the keyboard and the edge of the desk to allow the forearms to rest on the desk. A hand’s breadth or 10-15 cm is a general rule.

If you position the keyboard right at the edge of the desk this can cause strain on the wrists. – see diagram below. By moving the keyboard slightly forward away from the edge of the desk the position of the elbow and wrist joints are less severe.

On the other hand if you push your keyboard too far forward, perhaps because you have files in front of the keyboard while you type than you will be reaching across the desk and putting considerable strain on your neck and shoulders. You need to sort out a better arrangement for your documents - perhaps use a document holder

Steps for getting the right keyboard position

1. bring the keyboard in front of you, 
2. position the keyboard away from the edge of the desk but not enough to cause you to reach. And lastly
3. centre the keyboard so the ‘letter B is level with your belly button’. This is because the text keys are usually on the left hand side with the numerical pad on the right. If you sit the keyboard in the middle  you will end up working with your right wrist bent, as in the picture above.

TIP: To use a keyboard comfortably requires more than just good keyboard placement. You also need to

• sit at the right height,
• make good use of the back rest
• position your documents correctly, and
• use good keying techniques.

For more tips about healthy computing and workstation ergonomics, see the Microsoft Healthy Computing Guide