We have heard of ergonomic chairs, but we still tend to make the wrong choice when it comes to our health, and purchase a gaming chair, which might look better (which is a subjective matter) but is multiple levels worse when it comes to the health part of the sitting.
On another note, we have also heard of ergonomic keyboards. What do they do? Are those the very weird-shaped keyboards that separate at the middle and are angled towards our wrists? They are, some of them at least. Should you get one? Maybe. Here are our thoughts on the situation.
What do Ergonomic Keyboards Do?
There are clear advantages to ergonomic keyboards, right? There are, but most people have no idea what they actually do. Standard keyboards put strain on the wrist, some parts of the arm, like the elbow, depending on the posture, as well as the shoulders. Ergonomic keyboards can help alleviate the stress on these body parts. However, this might not be true for those people who prefer sitting in extremely awkward positions like the memes suggest, bent over like a croissant which has been left too long in the sun and exposed to various chemicals.
Do You Need an Ergonomic Keyboard?
Typically, ergonomic keyboards are recommended for people who type more than 10 hours per week. That is a lot of people, especially if typing is their primary job activity. But, ergonomic keyboards are not for everyone. A keyboard is a personal choice and if you are satisfied with the one you already own, then you should not buy another one, unless you have any pain or discomfort in your forearm, fingers or shoulders, or any other part of the arm.
You should try an ergonomic keyboard to see if it will make things better, but more often than not, it is not just the keyboard that is the problem, but rather the chair, desk and posture.
What About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a problem, typically for gamers and people who type a lot, because pressure is being put on the carpal nerve, which then can cause lots of pain and numbness in the fingers and hand.
Ergonomic keyboards can help alleviate some of this, as well as help the person heal, however, the before mentioned problems of chair, desk and posture are connected. It is usually a combination of these things that is causing the issue, and not just the keyboard. Purchasing an ergonomic keyboard will not be a bad investment, overall, if you do lots of typing.
However, it is also not the solution on its own, if there are problems with the back, shoulders and arms. A chair and posture change would most likely help more than an ergonomic keyboard.
