Wrist rests are common accessories found at computer workstations, promising comfort and injury prevention for people who spend long hours typing. While intended to support a neutral posture, improper use can actually create the very problems they are designed to prevent. Understanding the mechanics of how these rests interact with your anatomy is key to determining their overall safety and efficacy.
How Wrist Rests Can Cause Injury
The most dangerous mistake is resting the delicate underside of the wrist on the pad while actively typing. The wrist is not designed to bear weight during repetitive motion. Pressing the wrist down creates contact stress that compresses the soft tissues, nerves, and blood vessels passing through the carpal tunnel.
The median nerve, which controls sensation and movement in parts of the hand, runs through this narrow passageway in the wrist. Applying direct, sustained pressure while typing can compress the median nerve, the primary mechanism leading to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This compression can also restrict blood flow and irritate the sheaths surrounding the tendons, potentially leading to tenosynovitis.
Planting the wrist on the rest while typing encourages the user to pivot their hand from the fixed point of contact, instead of moving the entire arm. This motion causes the wrist to bend sideways (ulnar deviation), forcing smaller muscles and tendons to work harder in awkward positions. The repetitive strain from these unnatural movements can lead to microtraumas and inflammation.
Using Rests Correctly for Breaks and Support
The correct function of a wrist rest is not to support the wrist during typing, but to support the fleshy part of the palm (the heel of the hand) during breaks. The support should only be engaged when the user pauses their work to read the screen or rest their hands. The goal is to allow the arm and shoulder muscles to relax momentarily, alleviating tension that builds up in the upper body during long typing sessions.
When the rest is used, the contact point should be the palm’s heel, keeping the wrist slightly elevated and in a straight, neutral position relative to the forearm. This neutral alignment minimizes pressure on the internal structures. The rest should be soft, rounded, and matched to the height and slope of the keyboard, usually sitting just below elbow level.
The support should cushion the palm without forcing the wrist into an awkward bend. The hands should “float” above the keyboard while typing, ensuring weight-bearing is done by the larger muscles of the arm and shoulder, not the wrist. This hover-typing technique prevents strain, using the rest only as a landing pad between bursts of activity.
Essential Ergonomics for Keyboard Setup
A wrist rest is only one small component of a healthy computer workstation; the overall setup is far more influential in preventing strain. The most important adjustment is ensuring that your chair and desk height allow your elbows to be bent at approximately a 90 to 110-degree angle, with your forearms parallel to the floor. This positioning promotes a neutral wrist posture and allows the arms to hang relaxed at the sides.
The keyboard should be positioned at a height that allows the wrist to remain straight, without bending upward (extension) or downward (flexion). Many ergonomic specialists suggest utilizing a negative tilt keyboard tray or a keyboard with a slight negative slope. This subtle tilt helps maintain neutral wrist alignment and prevents hyperextension, reducing contact stress.
The monitor must be placed at eye level and directly in front of you to prevent forward head posture and subsequent neck and shoulder tension, which can indirectly affect arm and wrist mechanics. The principle of “floating wrists” should be the primary typing technique, utilizing the entire arm to reach keys rather than pivoting from the wrist. Focusing on these larger adjustments—chair, desk, monitor, and typing technique—minimizes the risk of injury far more effectively than relying on a single accessory.