The effects of user friendly keyboard slope modifications on wrist postures when keyboarding.

BACKGROUND

Extensive keyboarding has been associated as a risk factor for repetitive strain injuries. Modifying the slope angle may decrease the negative cumulative effects of this activity.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the kinematic effect of four keyboard modifications on wrist extension during keyboarding.

PARTICIPANTS

32 female college students between the age of 21 and 25, mean age of 22.4 years.

METHOD: A Greenleaf Biomechanical Analyzer was utilized to determine the wrist extension angles across four keyboard modifications.

RESULTS

A one way ANOVA with repeated measures revealed significant differences between all 4 test conditions for both right and left wrist extension, Wilks Lambda 0.249 F (3,29) 29.1, p=0.000 n2 = 0.75 for left wrist and Wilks Lambda 0.158 F (3,29) 51.6, p=0.000 n2 = 0.84 for the right wrist.

CONCLUSION

The study suggests that simple modifications to a standard computer keyboard can significantly vary wrist angles during keyboarding. These findings could possibly improve worksite modification guidelines and prevent repetitive strain injuries among keyboarders.