Is Keyboard Tenting Important (Wrist Pronation)

By Xah Lee. Date: . Last updated: .

Recently (2016-07-16), had hand discomfort again. On keyboard for too long. This time, the cause is pronation.

keyboarding RSI forearm Pronation-33159
forearm pronation

How do i know it's pronation problem? Because if i rotate forearm the opposite direction (for example, put hands on desk, palms up.), there's big comfort, relief.

My current keyboard, the Truly Ergonomic keyboard 2016 , is flat. It causes pronation problem if put hands on keyboard 8 hours a day.

To solve the pronation problem, you need keyboard with β€œtenting”, meaning, raised in middle.

ergodox ez keyboard 14304-s800
Ergodox EZ [see Ergodox Keyboard] [image source reddit by RuntimeErr0r]

So, is tenting really important?

Yes, if you use keyboard for long period of time.

How long is long? Hard to say. But for me, i sit in front of computer, for 12 hours a day, in past years. I try to not leave my hand on keyboard when not actually typing. Using regular mouse is also a problem. Basically, anything that makes your palm face down. (i get up and take a walk for 10 min every 2 hours, but has been lazy on this in past 3 months. (wow, that's probably why!))

Here is keyboard with raised middle that i recommend

see Best Ergonomic Keyboards, Xah Pick for keyboard with tenting feature.

Got a Kinesis Advantage2 two months ago (2016-07), and it cured my pronation problem!

Scientific Research on Keyboard Ergonomics

Scientific Research on Keyboard Ergonomics

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