Moreover, the back-and-forth adjustment of the wrist creates friction, also known as microtrauma. The forearms will sag as your hands get tired from typing, exerting pressure on the wrists and forcing you to bend them to adjust to the changing pressure. Here is a detailed video describing typing on the keyboard with proper finger position.ĭoes your wrist stiffen and tingle with pain after spending time on your keyboard? You may be overstressing your wrist, leading to swollen tendons and carpal tunnel. Note: Keep your fingers curved instead of flat so you can press each key accurately and efficiently.

Hence, you will not reach anywhere with it and risk running into repetitive strain injury.Īssuming the correct finger position on the keyboard is a must. Read our article to learn more about the disadvantages of two-finger typing. With both hands’ four fingers on the home row, there should be eight fingers on the home row. Many newbies only use their index fingers, which is good for a starter but the worst for quick typing.

Similarly, your thumb hovers over the space bar at all-time ready to punch the key.Īssuming this finger’s position also helps build muscle memory, so you can remember each key’s position and press them without looking. Finger movement on the keyboard (Source: Dribble) Imagine a game of soccer where players only tackle the opponent close to them usually, a defender will take on the forward player or striker. Your fingers are precisely positioned at the center to help press the surrounding keys quickly, where each finger is used to reach the keys diagonally above and below it.įor example, your left pinky will tackle the closest keys such as the control menu, Tab, Caps Lock, and Shift on the far left, whereas the right pinky will tackle Enter key on the far right. The home row keys are where you place your finger when learning to type. Right Fingers: Pinky (J), Ring (K), Middle (L), and Index ( or semi-colon)Ĭorrect finger position on the keyboard (Source: Researchgate).Left Fingers: Pinky (A), Ring (S), Middle (D), and Index (F).The basic rule of using the QWERTY keypad is to place your finger on the home row keys. Let us talk about finger placement on the QWERTY keypad, as this keypad format is more prevalent in several regions of the world, including the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia, Let us look at different factors that will affect your typing. Overall, body posture and comfort are far more critical. Therefore, the key is maintaining an overall body posture, considering your hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and distance between the keyboard and upper body. However, it may be impossible to attain this posture when your shoulders are broader than the keyboard and your body posture is wrong. Ideally, your hands (palm and finger) and forearms should sit parallel to the keyboard. What is the Correct Hand Position for Typing? When your overall position is correct, you can type on the keyboard continuously with speed and precision without feeling the sore fingers or hands. Ergonomic Monitor Setup and body posture (Source: Pixabay) However, experts point out that not only your hands but also your shoulder and body posture should align with the keyboard to increase productivity. Similarly, assuming correct hand posture means you can reach each key within a flick of time, helping with typing faster. Therefore, the proper hand position is essential to ward off health problems. MedilinePlus.Gov reports that carpal tunnel syndrome is estimated to affect 1 to 5 percent of adults annually, where the incidence of CTS and repetitive injury is rising, with 1-3 cases per 1000 subjects yearly.Īlthough cubital tunnel syndrome is less seen than carpal tunnel syndrome, it has risen, especially among computer users. When you bend the elbow often, the ulnar nerve gets irritated or compressed inside your elbow. Pressure on a nerve in your wrist leads to tingling, numbness, and pain throughout the palm, caused by wrist overuse. Problemĭamage to muscles, tendons, or nerves is caused by repetitive motions such as typing, moving the mouse, writing, etc. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons points out that RSI, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and cubital tunnel syndrome are more familiar to users with poor typing practice.

Anatomy of the carpal tunnel (Source: Wikimedia) Poor typing and posture can lead to many problems, including repetitive strain injury (RSI) of muscles and tendons. Most computer users make the mistake of incorrectly resting their hand on the keyboard, affecting their productivity and health. In short, yes! A correct hand position will be a gamechanger when it comes to typing.

What is the Correct Hand Position for Typing?.

Typing fingers which keys