Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: ergonomic, health, technology | Themes: Desktop Computers
7. A Comfortable QWERTY
I won’t regurgitate the curiously sad and confounding tale of the evolution of today’s QWERTY keyboard layout. You can find it easily enough elsewhere online. Suffice it to say here that in the era of when typewriters were born, typists soon grew frustrated by their device’s propensity to jam when keys were struck too quickly. The QWERTY layout developed exactly because it was one of the most inefficient designs possible, meant to slow down typing speeds in order to avoid jams and thus increase overall productivity. Everybody got used to it, and when computers came along, nobody wanted to rock the input boat. Ditching punch cards was hard enough.
As detailed by David Rempel in the June 2008 issue of "Human Factors," the QWERTY design was patented in 1878. The split keyboard concept was patented by F. Heidner in 1915. Whatever the reason, the more ergonomically friendly split idea went almost universally ignored for five decades until revisited by a German researcher named Dr. Karl Kroemer. In 1972, Kroemer published the results of several studies in the American journal "Human Factors," showing that the split-keyboard idea was superior to a standard design, resulting in fewer errors and less strain, although too much split angle was shown to generate shoulder pain.
More studies piled up in the 1980s showing the benefits of a keyboard using a roughly 25-degree split and an eight to 10 degrees lateral inclination. By 1991, research was finding that the angle of forearm pronation had a direct bearing on the amount of fluid pressure in the carpal tunnel.
All of this led to Apple releasing its Apple Adjustable keyboard in 1992 and Microsoft its Microsoft Natural keyboard, which added the concept of lateral inclination, in 1994. Smaller competitors, such as Kinesis, also started entering the market around this time. I remember when the Microsoft Natural debuted and the consumer debate that surrounded it. The product was polarizing: either you loved or hated it. Either way, the ergonomic keyboard faced (and continues to face) a long, uphill battle in the consumer market. That said, according to NPD Group, the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 was the best-selling wired, after-market keyboard in 2006.
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I've been using an ergonomic keyboard and mouse pretty much as long as I've been using computers and have never had hand pains, so ergonomic things do work... if you let them. Changing equipment alone often isn't enough to completely offset RSIs. You need to relax your grip on the mouse a bit and improve your posture as well. Keeping your wrists off the desk is a small thing and an easy habit to get into - but it goes a long way.
Great read, lots of good stuff that I've been pondering recently. One interesting point is that while the ideal method of keeping your body in check when long-term computing is to get up every our and stretch. But who really does that, especially on a crunch? Heck, I don't even do that for gaming!
One other thing: for the guitar, I never found my hands hurt from the constant simultaneous movement, and I can play just about every song on Expert level. If anything, that exercise strengthened my left hand significantly, to where it's more adept at certain things than my right hand. My finger movements are even different, and I'm right handed!
That said, just this last week I was diagnosed with overused muscles in my right wrist due to too much gaming and computer time. My right hand is in constant pain from it, and while I have games to review and articles to write (one of which I should be doing now for TG), even pinching hurts because of this overuse. My doctor said I should have my hand in a splinter and my arm in a sling, but there's no typing or gaming in such conditions.
And with the holidays around the corner...well, sometime this week my health will become a bigger priority than my work. And I'm not the only one with such predicaments.
I've also used an MS natural keyboard ever since I bought my first computer. 20 years ago I took a computer class and was using the straight normal keyboard and right away felt my wrists lock up. 5 years after, I buy my first computer and the natural keyboard with it. Good bye pain.
I have Carpol Tunnel Syndrome and pinched nerves in my neck. Definately a good idea to be precautious and take care of yourself. Though I find the prescriptions interesting.
would like to share with you a very unique keyboard from A4Tech
they have some special keyboards with the keys cut into an "A" shape.
It really gives a relaxing feeling when typing, can't describe it.
would be nice to see some of em' in one of tom's reviews.
"Then your body replaces that with stronger, more flexible tissue."
Are you serious?!? That's why atheletes who snap tendons come back and play better than ever (SARCASM!)
I appreciate the section on ergonomics - they're very important and basic measures go a long way to decrease injuries - but I draw the line with chiropractors.
The good "doctor" on his website believes his back manipulation will fix your bacterial ear infection or that back manipulation will fix your asthma. Some of my favourites:
http://www.quackwatch.com/search/w [...] iropractor
Hope that the author got a decent back-rub for linking Brian Rueben's website.
Correction: Leonie Smith and the University of Stellenbosch is in South Africa, not New Zealand. This is also clearly visible from the thesis PDF.
I've got some pretty nasty nerve damage from playing games in terrible positions. Mostly, I use to lean on my elbows. Unfortunately my ulnar nerve has been damaged from years of incorrect resting. Now my fingers don't work so well, I get a lot of strange pains and I can't play computers games or play the guitar anymore.
My advice: Don't rest on your elbows anymore! Armchairs with elbow rest are evil, terrible things. Be careful.
A very good summary of RSI and the dangers of technology. As a long term RSI sufferer (13+ years now) I can vouch for the pain that this condition causes. I literally had to give up my career in CAD/engineering because of an RSI condition. We are literally going to see (are seeing?) an epidemic of RSI conditions break out unless we get the message about the dangers of RSI out there. This article is a step in the right direction. Its about time that the general public is made aware of the dangers of not just computer use, but all high tech gadgetry use/overuse. With the younger generation having been brought up with technology as part of their lives from a very early stage, we could be looking at a wide variety of injuries at a much younger age in the future.
With regards to wrist angle at a keyboard, please refer to my articles on the subject on my RSI website -
Forearm extensors and wrist angle -
http://www.ergomatters.co.uk/blog/ [...] n-and-rsi/
Lateral wrist deviation and RSI -
http://www.ergomatters.co.uk/blog/ [...] e-and-rsi/
Correction: Leonie Smith and the University of Stellenbosch is in South Africa, not New Zealand. This is also clearly visible from the thesis PDF.
Fixed. Thanks for the heads-up!
I've been using all manner of keyboards, from the Acorn Electron all the way up to a standard laptop keyboard and mouse. No problem. No RSI.
I'm in I.T. so do use them ALL the darn time
Try not to give people something to moan about.
I agree with "Anonymous 11/03/2009 2:49 AM"
The section on ergonomics is good and it is important to look at your work environment and its potential affect on your body, but I too draw the line with chiropractors. You can do your own research, but a reasonable summary is the Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiro [...] ence_basis
It is far from a proven science and not something I would glibly recommend as a solution to the ergonomics problem...
I've been using all manner of keyboards, from the Acorn Electron all the way up to a standard laptop keyboard and mouse. No problem. No RSI.I'm in I.T. so do use them ALL the darn timeTry not to give people something to moan about.
I've known a lot of people with cancer. Never had it myself, though...yet.
I've known a lot of people with cancer. Never had it myself, though...yet.
Just because we've been lucky enough not to have had an ailment outselves doesn't mean it isn't real for others or that we can't take prudent action to avoid contracting the problem in the future.