The effects of user friendly keyboard slope modifications on wrist postures when keyboarding
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1Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Avenue, Conway, AR 72035, USA. Tel.: +1 501 450 5569; Fax: +1 501 450 3622;
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.
