When it comes to working on a computer, using a keyboard for long hours throughout the day can be a tedious and strenuous task. After years of typing on a keyboard, a lot of people complain about pain in the hands or wrist. The main reason for this is the fact that traditional keyboards force the wrists to be in an unnatural position while typing. After a long period of time, this can lead to a painful sensation near the thumb and other areas of the hand and the wrist. In some cases, the result can be a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) like Carpal Tunnel.
Thankfully, manufacturers came up with a great idea. They have realized the beneficial properties of incorporating ergonomics into their designs, so today, we have the ergonomic split keyboard. It is designed specifically to adapt to the position of your wrist, hands, and shoulders when typing.
Benefits
When it comes to using an ergonomic split keyboard the biggest benefit undoubtedly is that you don’t have to strain your hands or wrists so that you can keep them in a natural position. Its split design will put an end of keeping your pinkies extended up or outwards. This type of keyboard also can adapt to different body frames because it allows you to adjust the width between the two halves, reducing the internal shoulder rotation.
According to a lot of clients, the positioning of the keys plays a big role as well. Instead of putting pressure on the keyboard keys, now it’s possible to use just a light touch in order to type thanks to the design of this special keyboard. Using two-and-three-key combinations has never been easier too. In case you want to make a complex key combination like the ”Shift”, ”Alt”, ”Delete” and ”Ctrl” buttons you can use both hands.
The ergonomic split keyboards are not only more comfortable, more natural and easier to use but also they can help you increase your typing speed as well. Now you can relax your wrist and entire hand because you are not holding them in awkward contortions any more.
Features
The ergonomic split keyboards are divided into two groups of keys on each side of the keyboard. They are provided with removable palm rests and palm pads whose function is to elevate the wrists to a more neutral angle. The top material of the palm pads is made of smooth fabric and the bottom is made of anti-slip material, so they can’t slip off the keyboard easily. They are 4-millimeters in height.
There are two types of ergonomic split keyboards: a fixed-split and an adjustable split keyboard. The first one uses a single board like any other inline keyboard but will probably have a slightly curved layout. The other one is divided into several independent pieces, giving you the freedom to increase or decrease the space between the group of keys, so it will become more personalized to your needs.