Whether you’ve been struggling with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for years or are just noticing some minor aches and pains while typing, having a good ergonomic keyboard is essential.
Research suggests that typing for about 20-28 hours per week may put you at risk for injuring the nerves in your wrists. Depending on the quantity and kind of work that you perform, you may easily be surpassing this threshold within as little as two days. If this describes you, you’ll want to invest in a keyboard that is going to give you every single biomechanical advantage that you can get in order to reduce risk of injury to your wrists, hands, elbows, and even shoulders.
Most standard keyboards will do a few things to your hands and arms that may cause you pain down the road:
Bending the wrists back (caused by high-profile keyboards or keyboards tilted towards the user)
Bending wrists towards the pinky (caused by small or non-split design keyboards)
Twisting the wrist so the palms lie flat down (caused by a flat design keyboard)
Resting wrists on the desktop (caused by lack of palm rest)
Using excessive force to type (caused by keys with a high actuation force)
Reaching around number pad to use mouse/repeated number entry with one hand (caused by attached number pad)
With that in mind, the three keyboards profiled below have all or most of the following features:
Low profile
Flat or tilting away from user
Tented in the center
Space to separate hands
Cushioned palm rest
Slim border (if no palm rest included)
Keys that depress easily
Adjustability
No attached number pad
These features combined will allow you to maintain a neutral wrist, hand, and forearm, use limited force when typing, and have the flexibility to make adjustments when needed. And for those who are not yet comfortable with the idea of a split keyboard, you can check out my list of best non-split keyboards.
Best Keyboard for Beginners
The Microsoft Sculpt is the keyboard version of dipping your toe in the water when you don’t want to jump right in the deep end. It’s got a lot of the features that any great split keyboard offers, but doesn’t have too many adjustments. As a result, people who might feel a bit uneasy about split keyboards are a little more comfortable with this model.
This keyboard is great because the minimal split and gentle tenting up at the center help to reduce awkward side bending and twisting of the wrists. This keeps pressure off of the Carpal Tunnels and the elbows as well. The soft, built-in palm rest allows the user to rest palms while typing which prevents the user from pressing the wrists to the hard desktop. Additionally, the keyboard includes an optional magnetic platform piece that tilts the keyboard away from the user. While most users won’t need this, the extra height can be useful for those who are very tall who may have a desk that is too low. Lastly, this keyboard includes a separate numeric keypad which can be placed on the left, the right, or can be moved away completely so that the mouse can be positioned closer to the user in order to prevent reaching.
Pros:
Tented
Split
Easily depressed keys
No attached numeric keypad
Built in palm rest
Optional tilting platform
Wireless
Cons:
Few adjustments
Palm rest may be too large for very small hands
May need to be configured for use with Mac
Split may not be enough for those with broad shoulders
May not fit on keyboard trays with built-in palm rests
Not compatible with specialized mice such as the Contour
Best Keyboard for Heavy Typers
The Kinesis Freestyle 2 keyboard has so much going for it, almost needs its own article. In general, the most valuable feature of this keyboard is its unrelenting adjustability. The basic keyboard itself can remain in one piece for those who prefer just a little split in their keyboard, or can separate to a full 20 inch spacing for those who require something a bit more aggressive. Either way, you'll get the separation that you need in order to prevent awkward side-bending of the wrists when typing.
Just the keyboard and palm supports alone will support ergonomic positioning of the wrists, but if you want to improve things even more you can introduce the Freestyle2 VIP3 tenting accessory. The tenting accessory clips onto the underside of the keyboard to provides a slight tenting. This helps to keep the wrists from twisting, reducing strain at the wrists as well as the elbows. The palm rests included in the kit are made out of a hard plastic and do come with adhesive-backed pads to provide additional cushion. However, I’ve found that the standard kinesis freestyle palm pads are just too thin- try the Freestyle Pro Premium Palm Pads, or even the Advantage Palm Pads instead).
But if even the tenting accessory doesn't solve your problem, Kinesis still has one trick left! The Freestyle2 Ascent vertical attachment is one of the most aggressive things you can add to your keyboard, but if you are having discomfort at the wrists or elbows and nothing that you’ve tried is working, this might be your next step. What this attachment is going to do is put your hands into a fully vertical position, sort of like a handshake. This is going to reduce much of the stress that you would normally have on the wrists, forearms, and elbows from having your palms flat down when typing. This is not something I recommend often due to the difficulty some might experience in acclimating to the new position, however the anecdotal feedback that I’ve received from those who have tried it has been positive.
Pros:
Highly adjustable
Optional palm rests
Optional tenting attachment
Optional vertical adjustment
Optional numeric keypad
Split design
Low force keys
Mac and PC versions
60 day return window
Cons:
Expensive
Design/features can be intimidating
Best Keyboard for Travel
The iClever BK06 Foldable Rechargeable Universal Wireless Keyboard. It just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? I love this keyboard for a few reasons. First off, it is easily the most portable keyboard I've ever owned. It's incredibly light, pairs quickly and easily with my laptop, and until I spilled water on my most recent one it had been working reliably for 3 years.
Getting down to the ergonomics of it, this keyboard offers two primary features that make it a good choice. First of all, it’s extremely low profile which not only makes it perfect for travel, but discourages the tendency to bend the wrists back. This ensures that you're not putting added strain onto the Carpal Tunnels which helps to protect this area. Secondly, this keyboard features a split design that allows you to separate your hands a bit and angle them in such a way so as to reduce bending the wrists to the side. Again, this reduces strain not only at the Carpal Tunnel but helps you to (minimally) rotate your shoulders out a bit to prevent a hunched forward posture. Overall, this keyboard is easy on the wrists, highly portable, and very affordable as well.
Pros:
Highly portable
Pairs quickly through bluetooth
Mac and PC compatible
Split design
Affordable
Cons:
Split may be too small for those with boarder shoulders
No tenting
TLDR; If you’re having persistent pain when typing, the Kinesis is your best bet. If you’re just exploring split design keyboards, the Sculpt is for you. If you work away from home frequently, try the iClever.
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