Ergonomic Typing: How to Avoid Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
RSI affects millions of office workers. Simple posture adjustments, regular breaks, and the right keyboard setup can protect your hands for the long term.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is one of the most common workplace injuries for knowledge workers. The good news: most cases are preventable with simple adjustments.
Wrist position. Your wrists should be neutral — not bent up, down, or sideways. If your wrists are angled to reach the keyboard, your setup is wrong. A wrist rest is not for resting on while you type — it's for breaks between bursts.
Elbow angle. Your elbows should be at 90–110° and close to your body. Reaching forward to your keyboard is a common cause of shoulder and wrist strain.
Keyboard height. Your keyboard should be at or slightly below elbow height when seated. Most desks are too high — a keyboard tray can fix this.
The 20-20-20 rule for breaks. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Apply the same principle to your hands: brief rest every 20 minutes.
Finger stretches. Spread your fingers wide and hold for 5 seconds. Make a fist and hold for 5 seconds. Rotate your wrists. Do this set 3 times per hour of heavy typing.
Consider a split keyboard. Ergonomic split keyboards keep your wrists in a more natural position. The Kinesis Advantage and Moonlander are popular choices among heavy users.
Early warning signs. Tingling, numbness, or aching in your hands, wrists, or forearms are early RSI signals. Address them immediately — don't push through the pain.