Keyboard

The goal is to position the keyboard at a desirable angle to put the hands
into a neutral posture, and use a palm rest if necessary. Most ergonomic
keyboards on the market today are split keyboards (those where the alphanumeric
keys are split at an angle). These keyboards mainly address the
problem of wrist ulnar deviation (side-to-side bending of the hands). However,
wrist extension and flexion (vertical movement of the hands bending
up and down) are more important for musculoskeletal injury prevention.
There is no consistent research that shows that ergonomic split keyboards
alone will provide the optimal postural benefits, and for most people a
regular keyboard design works just fine if its placed in the proper neutral
position. Some people find split keyboards to be more comfortable than
traditional keyboards, so if you use one, make sure that it is not causing
your shoulders to abduct away from the body or be raised higher than is
comfortable. To achieve a neutral hand/wrist position when using a keyboard
you should:
NOTE:............
NOTE ON NOT BENDING WRISTS UPWARD OR CAN INCREASE RISK OF CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
AND SPACE TO REST BASE FO PALM AND HANDS IN NEUTRAL POSITION TO REST BETWEEN BU
RSTS OF TYPING ACTIVITY 13!: Thus says use the flattest keyborad that you can f
ind. Says if you have an upward
sloping keyboard then make sure that hte rear feet on the keyboard are not exten
ded. Says the flattr the keyboard the less
you have to bend yoru wrist upwards during typing and this upward bending of wri
st can increase the risk of a hand/wrist injury such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
1.1 Says make sure there is a space in fornt of hte keyboard for you to rest you
r hands and palm in a neutral comfortabal position in between bursts of typing a
ctivity to give
the hands some rest time in a neutral position.
p 171/233
Laptop
The goal is to allow the child to comfortably use a laptop computer in a
safe way. This goal can be achieved by ensuring that:
The child uses a laptop for less than one hour at a time. If the laptop
is going to be used for more than one hour per day or as the main
computer, it is worthwhile using a mouse or any other external
pointing device. Consider obtaining an external keyboard. It is also
worth using a laptop stand to raise the screen to viewing height and
then docking a separate keyboard and mouse to this. This type of
arrangement has been shown to benefit both posture and performance
(Berkhout, Hendriksson-Larsen and Bongers, 2004).
The laptop is used on a work surface at an appropriate height for
the child (see Display section) and not on a high surface that will
elevate the shoulders and cause shoulder and back pain.
NOTE IMPORTANT ON LAPTOP USE TIPS 12.5!: Thus says if going to be using laptop
as main computer or more than one hour per day, then consider obtaining an exter
nal keyboard.
1.1 Also make sure the work surface is at an apporpriate height and not on a hig
h surface sthat will elevate the shoulders and cause shoulder and back pain.
Thus becareful of tendency to elevate shoulders because the height of work surfa
ce is too high and get adjustable or lower work surface.
p 172/233
The laptop has a broad, flat palm rest to intermittently support the
childs hands in between bursts of typing on the laptop keyboard.
The laptops pointing device is not used exclusively. The central
position of the pointing device as is found on almost all laptops
may not allow the child to keep their hands and arms in neutral
positions while using it for cursor positioning and the position of
the input device may result in suboptimal performance (Kelaher,
Nay, Lawrence, Lamar and Sommerich, 2001). Taking rest breaks is
important!
NOTE ON LAPTOP HAVING FLAT PALM REST AND DON'T USE POINTING DEVICE EXCLUSIVELY.
The risk of problems associated with computer use depends more on the
amount of time that one spends keyboarding and mousing without taking
a break in one single session than on the total number of keyboarding
sessions. Children may not be good at regulating their own computer usage
and parents and teachers should be aware of the importance of appropriate
intervals and encourage children to learn when to take breaks from computer
use.
Eye Breaks Looking at a computer screen for a while can cause
some changes in how the eyes are working, for example, the rate of
blinking will decrease which means that the tear film of the eye is
not being refreshed and dirt and debris is not being cleaned from
the eye surface as frequently as normal. If the computer screen is
incorrectly positioned too high, the upward gaze angle will result
in more of the eye surface being exposed to the air. This increase in
exposure area combined with a decrease in blink rate will increase
the risks of dry, irritated, sore eyes. To minimize these risks, the child
should be taught the following regimen every 20 min they should:
Briefly look away from the screen for a minute or two to a more
distant scene, preferably something more that 20 ft away, to let
the muscles inside the eye relax.
Blink the eyes rapidly for a few seconds to refresh the tear film
and clear dust form the eye surface.
NOTE VERY IMPORTANT ON BREAKS AND EYE BREAKS FROM COMPUTER 13!: Thus says the ri
sk of problems associated with computer use depends more on amoutn of time one s
pends keyboarding and mousing without taking a break in one single session than
on the total number of keyboarding sessions.
1.1 Says to minimize risks every 20 minutes you should briefly look away from th
e screen for a minute or two to a more distant scene, preferably somthing
more than 20 ft away to let the muscles inside the eye relax.
1.2 Also blink the eyes rapidly for a few seconds to refresh the tear film and c
lear dust from the eye surface.
Micro-breaks Most typing and mousing is done intermittently in
bursts rather than as continuous movements. Between these bursts
of activity children should be taught to rest their hands in a relaxed,
flat, straight posture. Working at a computer can be hypnotic, and
often children do not realize how long they have been sitting and
staring at a screen and how much they have been typing and mousing.
It is worthwhile considering the use of ergonomic rest-break
software that will run in the background to monitor how much time
and how intensely the child has been using the computer, and that
provides some visual prompt to take a rest break at appropriate
intervals and to perform simple stretching exercises. Following a
regimen of taking micro-breaks every 15 min has been shown to
NOTE IMPORTANT ON MICROBREAKS AND RESTING HAND IN NEUTRAL POSITION DURING THE BU
RSTS12.5!: Thus says that most typing and mousing is done intermeittently in bu
rsts rather than as continuous movements.
1.1 Thus instead of keeping the hands in the same ready to type or ready to mous
e posture, between these bursts you should learn to rest your hands in a relaxed
, flat, straight posture.
1.2 There is a tendency to forget how long one has been typing and mousing.
1.3 Says following a regimen of taking micro-breaks every 15 minutes has been sh
own to be helpful.

p 154 173/233
decrease reports of eyestrain and blurred vision, decrease complaints
of elbow and arm discomfort, and to produce the highest speed,
accuracy, and performance for typical computer tasks (Balci and
Aghazadeh, 2003).
Rest breaks Every 30 to 60 min children should take a brief rest
break when they are allowed to stand up, move around, and do
something else other than using the computer. This movement
allows the body to rest the muscles used when working at the
computer and to exercise different muscles. Moving around promotes
better blood circulation, which reduces the accumulation of
static muscle fatigue and also promotes alertness.
Exercise breaks There are many quick stretching and gentle exercises
that children can be taught that can help relieve muscle fatigue.
These should be done every 1 to 2 h, depending on the intensity of
computer use by the child. In addition to this, encouraging physical
fitness will help to reduce injury risks, and promoting ergonomics
as part of the school curriculum for physical exercise as well as for
computer science will help to reinforce this.
Finally, to obtain the best results these breaks and exercises need to be
combined with good workstation setup and good working posture.
NOTE IMPORTANT ON REST BREAKS AND EXERCISE BREAKS 13!: Thus say severy 30 to 60
minutes you should take a breif rest break when you're allowed to stand up, mov
e around
and do something else other than using hte computer. This movement allows the b
ody too rest the muscles used when working at hte computer and to exercise diffe
rent muscles.Moving around also promotes better blood circulation which reduces
accumulation of static muscle fatigue and promotes alertness.
1.1 Thus if studying for a long time it is a common tendency for studetns to bre
ak from studying by doing something else on their computer, maybe checking faceb
ook, etc. However there must be a break from the computer altogether, for visio
n and postural muscles. Stand up and look at other things preferably 20 ft away
. Thus don't take a break to read a
book, as this is not 20 ft away and won't allow eye muscles to relax.
1.1 Many quick stretching and gentle exercises that can help relieve msucle fati
gue shoudl be done every 1 to 2 hours.
p 187/233
General Body Exercises
Throughout this text we have maintained the notion that the eyes are an
integral part of the body and must be treated in much the same way with
attention and care. Since the eyes lead the body, it only makes sense that
good body exercises will help you to maintain good posture at the workstation.
Here are some general body exercises that are easy to do and very
effective (Figure 10.4). A word of caution: if you have any pre-existing
condition that might be aggravated by doing these exercises, please consult
with your health care provider prior to attempting them.
A. Pectoral stretch: Do this when you find yourself slouching. Clasp
your hands behind your head. Tuck in your chin, press the back of
your head into your hands, and push your elbows as far back as
you can. Hold for 3 seconds, then relax and repeat 5 times.
B. Disk reliever: Do this to reverse the effects of repetitive or sustained
bending. Place your hands in the hollow of your back. While focusing
your eyes straight ahead, bend backward over your hands without
bending your knees, then immediately straighten up.
C. Pelvic tilt: Do this to reverse the effects of standing with sway
back. Begin by standing with your back to the wall. Tighten your
stomach muscles to flatten your back. Hold for several seconds. Once
youve mastered the exercise, do it sitting or standing.
D. Wrist/finger: Hold one hand with fingers upward. Gently push
fingers and wrist back with the other hand. Hold for 3 sec. Repeat
5 times for each hand.
E. Thumb: Hold one hand with fingers upward. Gently pull back the
thumb with the fingers of the other hand. Hold for 3 sec. Repeat 5
times for each hand.
F. Whole hand: Spread the fingers of both hands apart and back while
keeping your wrists straight. Hold for 3 sec. Repeat this exercise 5
times for each hand.
G. Head roll: Relax your shoulders and pull your head forward as far
as it will go. Hold for just two seconds. Then slowly rotate your
head along your shoulders until it is all the way back. Continue
rolling around to the other side until you return to your original
position. Roll you head in one direction three cycles, then reverse
P 188/233
the direction for another three cycles. Feel the upper shoulder muscles
relax. Do these slowly and feel the stretch in the neck muscles.
H. Shoulder squeeze: Another excellent stretch for slouchers. Lace your
fingers behind your back with the palms facing in. Slowly raise and
straighten your arms. Hold for 5 to 10 sec. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
NOTE ..EXERCISES TO HELP POSTURE