Bring Your Work to You

Virtually everyone has experienced pain and discomfort after a long day hunched over the keyboard. That's because poor posture while typing has been known to cause neck pain and upper and lower back pain, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome and other work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

The fact is, a keyboard placed directly on the desktop creates a number of injury risks. Not only does it force the user to lean forward in an unheatlhy, 'hunched-over' posture, it causes wrist anchoring and creates contact stress on the work surface (Figure 1). Plus, the potential benefits of many other ergonomic tools—like a task chair or monitor arm—are rendered useless.

In many ways, an articulating keyboard support forms the centerpiece of the ergonomic workstation. It works in conjunction with a monitor arm and task chair to literally bring the work directly to the user, allowing him to lean back in his chair and maintain healthy ergonomic posture (Figure 2). By working in such a way, the user can alleviate the pain and discomfort normally associated with computer work and dramatically reduce the risks of carpal tunnel syndrome and other musculoskeletal disorders.

Benefits of Humanscale Keyboard Supports

Despite their benefits, keyboard supports often get a bad rap. This is due in large part to the bulky, cumbersome design utilized by many supposedly ergonomic keyboard systems. If you've ever knocked your knees on a large metallic keyboard tray, you know why.

But Humanscale's keyboard supports offer the slimmest profile in the industry, providing maximum knee clearance under the desk. In fact, Humanscale's innovative 6G keyboard mechanism utilizes 28% less material than competing mechs, making it by far the slimmest keyboard support on the market. Plus, every Humanscale keyboard tray comes with smooth, rounded edges, so it won't snag your clothing or gouge your leg.

When it comes to intuitive adjustment, Humanscale keyboard systems are second to none. Each keyboard support offers at least 5 inches of dynamic height adjustment, allowing each user to perfectly position the keyboard according to his or her needs. And adjustment requires no knobs, locks or levers—the keyboard repositions with just a simple hand movement and remains in place once released.

Typing at a Negative Slope

Ergonomists agree that the healthiest typing posture is one that allows the wrists to maintain a neutral or slightly pronated posture—straight or bent at a slightly downward angle. For that reason, each Humanscale keyboard system allows the keyboard to be positioned anywhere from 0^o to a -15^o angle. Our unique dial-a-tilt feature allows each user to note the angle at which he or she keys most comfortably, and the system repositions in seconds to accommodate new users.