The Best Wrist Support for Typing

If you’re an avid typist, you can benefit greatly from using the best wrist support for typing. Your hands and fingers undergo a lot of repetitive strain, so you should take good care of them! If you’ve developed carpal tunnel pain from typing, check out these other wrist braces too.

How Typing Causes Problems

Repetitive Strain Injury

When you’re typing away on your keyboard, your hands are highly repetitive movements in a position that promotes compression of nerves and blood vessels. If you don’t mix up the movements every so often, these movements cause strain on the tendons, muscles, and joints. This then develops into repetitive strain injury (RSI), which is a major nemesis for typists everywhere. RSIs can be as minimal as soreness from overuse but can progress to more sinister chronic conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinopathies, and even osteoarthritis. A wrist brace can help to maintain proper positioning of the wrist to avoid these conditions and alleviate pain for those of us who are already suffering. Compression sleeves are another great option to help promote blood flow and reduce wrist pain.

See the best wrist compression sleeves here.

Avoiding RSI

By reading this article, you’ve already seen some great ways to avoid RSI! Giving your wrist the support it needs reduces the stress on it while you type, and prevents RSI from developing.

That’s not all you can do, however! By taking frequent breaks while typing, you can give your hands the rest they need to recover. You can also do some hand stretching exercises to relieve the strain and keep the muscles going.

How to Properly Use a Computer

Set Yourself at the Right Height

When you’re sitting at your desk, make sure your wrists and forearms are parallel to the floor. If they’re tilting slightly upward or downward, it puts unnecessary stress on the hands and can cause RSI. This is why adjustable chairs are so important for typists, as it allows them to find this ‘sweet spot’ much easier.

Keep Your Arms In an “L” Shape

When you type, your elbows should be at your sides and your arms should create an “L” shape. You should also have some room in front of your keyboard to allow your wrists to rest when you’re done typing.

Take Regular Breaks

Don’t forget to take a break every so often! This reduces the stress on your muscles and tendons and gives your hands time to recover. If you find yourself “entering the zone” a lot while typing, it’s a good idea to have a timer set for an hour. When the timer goes off, take a 5-10 minute break before resuming.

Consider taking a “movement break”, in which you go on a walk, or perform gentle stretches and any movements that feel good. Consider making gentle circles with your wrists, or shake them around

Weighing All the Factors

When it comes down to which gloves are best for typing, Vive’s carpal tunnel wrist brace offers great support, with three removable splints and three fastening straps. The enthusiastic typist will appreciate Mueller’s efforts to make a superior typing brace that combines fantastic support with ease of movement. Meanwhile, Dr. Arthritis’ copper lined wrist support is a great beginner’s choice with a low price and an instruction book.