KeyboardThe goal is to position the keyboard at a desirable angle to put the handsinto a neutral posture, and use a palm rest if necessary. Most ergonomickeyboards on the market today are split keyboards (those where the alphanumerickeys are split at an angle). These keyboards mainly address theproblem of wrist ulnar deviation (side-to-side bending of the hands). However,wrist extension and flexion (vertical movement of the hands bendingup and down) are more important for musculoskeletal injury prevention.There is no consistent research that shows that ergonomic split keyboardsalone will provide the optimal postural benefits, and for most people aregular keyboard design works just fine if its placed in the proper neutralposition. Some people find split keyboards to be more comfortable thantraditional keyboards, so if you use one, make sure that it is not causingyour shoulders to abduct away from the body or be raised higher than iscomfortable. To achieve a neutral hand/wrist position when using a keyboardyou should:NOTE:............NOTE ON NOT BENDING WRISTS UPWARD OR CAN INCREASE RISK OF CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME AND SPACE TO REST BASE FO PALM AND HANDS IN NEUTRAL POSITION TO REST BETWEEN BURSTS OF TYPING ACTIVITY 13!: Thus says use the flattest keyborad that you can find. Says if you have an upwardsloping keyboard then make sure that hte rear feet on the keyboard are not extended. Says the flattr the keyboard the less you have to bend yoru wrist upwards during typing and this upward bending of wrist can increase the risk of a hand/wrist injury such as carpal tunnel syndrome.1.1 Says make sure there is a space in fornt of hte keyboard for you to rest your hands and palm in a neutral comfortabal position in between bursts of typing activity to givethe hands some rest time in a neutral position.p 171/233LaptopThe goal is to allow the child to comfortably use a laptop computer in asafe way. This goal can be achieved by ensuring that: The child uses a laptop for less than one hour at a time. If the laptopis going to be used for more than one hour per day or as the maincomputer, it is worthwhile using a mouse or any other externalpointing device. Consider obtaining an external keyboard. It is alsoworth using a laptop stand to raise the screen to viewing height andthen docking a separate keyboard and mouse to this. This type ofarrangement has been shown to benefit both posture and performance(Berkhout, Hendriksson-Larsen and Bongers, 2004). The laptop is used on a work surface at an appropriate height forthe child (see Display section) and not on a high surface that willelevate the shoulders and cause shoulder and back pain.NOTE IMPORTANT ON LAPTOP USE TIPS 12.5!: Thus says if going to be using laptop as main computer or more than one hour per day, then consider obtaining an external keyboard.1.1 Also make sure the work surface is at an apporpriate height and not on a high surface sthat will elevate the shoulders and cause shoulder and back pain.Thus becareful of tendency to elevate shoulders because the height of work surface is too high and get adjustable or lower work surface.p 172/233The laptop has a broad, flat palm rest to intermittently support thechilds hands in between bursts of typing on the laptop keyboard. The laptops pointing device is not used exclusively. The centralposition of the pointing device as is found on almost all laptopsmay not allow the child to keep their hands and arms in neutralpositions while using it for cursor positioning and the position ofthe input device may result in suboptimal performance (Kelaher,Nay, Lawrence, Lamar and Sommerich, 2001). Taking rest breaks isimportant!NOTE ON LAPTOP HAVING FLAT PALM REST AND DON'T USE POINTING DEVICE EXCLUSIVELY.The risk of problems associated with computer use depends more on theamount of time that one spends keyboarding and mousing without takinga break in one single session than on the total number of keyboardingsessions. Children may not be good at regulating their own computer usageand parents and teachers should be aware of the importance of appropriateintervals and encourage children to learn when to take breaks from computeruse.Eye Breaks Looking at a computer screen for a while can causesome changes in how the eyes are working, for example, the rate ofblinking will decrease which means that the tear film of the eye isnot being refreshed and dirt and debris is not being cleaned fromthe eye surface as frequently as normal. If the computer screen isincorrectly positioned too high, the upward gaze angle will resultin more of the eye surface being exposed to the air. This increase inexposure area combined with a decrease in blink rate will increasethe risks of dry, irritated, sore eyes. To minimize these risks, the childshould be taught the following regimen every 20 min they should: Briefly look away from the screen for a minute or two to a moredistant scene, preferably something more that 20 ft away, to letthe muscles inside the eye relax. Blink the eyes rapidly for a few seconds to refresh the tear filmand clear dust form the eye surface.NOTE VERY IMPORTANT ON BREAKS AND EYE BREAKS FROM COMPUTER 13!: Thus says the risk of problems associated with computer use depends more on amoutn of time one spends keyboarding and mousing without taking a break in one single session than on the total number of keyboarding sessions.1.1 Says to minimize risks every 20 minutes you should briefly look away from the screen for a minute or two to a more distant scene, preferably somthingmore than 20 ft away to let the muscles inside the eye relax.1.2 Also blink the eyes rapidly for a few seconds to refresh the tear film and clear dust from the eye surface.Micro-breaks Most typing and mousing is done intermittently inbursts rather than as continuous movements. Between these burstsof activity children should be taught to rest their hands in a relaxed,flat, straight posture. Working at a computer can be hypnotic, andoften children do not realize how long they have been sitting andstaring at a screen and how much they have been typing and mousing.It is worthwhile considering the use of ergonomic rest-breaksoftware that will run in the background to monitor how much timeand how intensely the child has been using the computer, and thatprovides some visual prompt to take a rest break at appropriateintervals and to perform simple stretching exercises. Following aregimen of taking micro-breaks every 15 min has been shown toNOTE IMPORTANT ON MICROBREAKS AND RESTING HAND IN NEUTRAL POSITION DURING THE BURSTS12.5!: Thus says that most typing and mousing is done intermeittently in bursts rather than as continuous movements. 1.1 Thus instead of keeping the hands in the same ready to type or ready to mouse posture, between these bursts you should learn to rest your hands in a relaxed, flat, straight posture.1.2 There is a tendency to forget how long one has been typing and mousing. 1.3 Says following a regimen of taking micro-breaks every 15 minutes has been shown to be helpful. p 154 173/233decrease reports of eyestrain and blurred vision, decrease complaintsof elbow and arm discomfort, and to produce the highest speed,accuracy, and performance for typical computer tasks (Balci andAghazadeh, 2003). Rest breaks Every 30 to 60 min children should take a brief restbreak when they are allowed to stand up, move around, and dosomething else other than using the computer. This movementallows the body to rest the muscles used when working at thecomputer and to exercise different muscles. Moving around promotesbetter blood circulation, which reduces the accumulation ofstatic muscle fatigue and also promotes alertness. Exercise breaks There are many quick stretching and gentle exercisesthat children can be taught that can help relieve muscle fatigue.These should be done every 1 to 2 h, depending on the intensity ofcomputer use by the child. In addition to this, encouraging physicalfitness will help to reduce injury risks, and promoting ergonomicsas part of the school curriculum for physical exercise as well as forcomputer science will help to reinforce this.Finally, to obtain the best results these breaks and exercises need to becombined with good workstation setup and good working posture.NOTE IMPORTANT ON REST BREAKS AND EXERCISE BREAKS 13!: Thus say severy 30 to 60 minutes you should take a breif rest break when you're allowed to stand up, move aroundand do something else other than using hte computer. This movement allows the body too rest the muscles used when working at hte computer and to exercise different muscles.Moving around also promotes better blood circulation which reduces accumulation of static muscle fatigue and promotes alertness.1.1 Thus if studying for a long time it is a common tendency for studetns to break from studying by doing something else on their computer, maybe checking facebook, etc. However there must be a break from the computer altogether, for vision and postural muscles. Stand up and look at other things preferably 20 ft away. Thus don't take a break to read a book, as this is not 20 ft away and won't allow eye muscles to relax.1.1 Many quick stretching and gentle exercises that can help relieve msucle fatigue shoudl be done every 1 to 2 hours.p 187/233General Body ExercisesThroughout this text we have maintained the notion that the eyes are anintegral part of the body and must be treated in much the same way withattention and care. Since the eyes lead the body, it only makes sense thatgood body exercises will help you to maintain good posture at the workstation.Here are some general body exercises that are easy to do and veryeffective (Figure 10.4). A word of caution: if you have any pre-existingcondition that might be aggravated by doing these exercises, please consultwith your health care provider prior to attempting them.A. Pectoral stretch: Do this when you find yourself slouching. Claspyour hands behind your head. Tuck in your chin, press the back ofyour head into your hands, and push your elbows as far back asyou can. Hold for 3 seconds, then relax and repeat 5 times.B. Disk reliever: Do this to reverse the effects of repetitive or sustainedbending. Place your hands in the hollow of your back. While focusingyour eyes straight ahead, bend backward over your hands withoutbending your knees, then immediately straighten up.C. Pelvic tilt: Do this to reverse the effects of standing with swayback. Begin by standing with your back to the wall. Tighten yourstomach muscles to flatten your back. Hold for several seconds. Onceyouve mastered the exercise, do it sitting or standing.D. Wrist/finger: Hold one hand with fingers upward. Gently pushfingers and wrist back with the other hand. Hold for 3 sec. Repeat5 times for each hand.E. Thumb: Hold one hand with fingers upward. Gently pull back thethumb with the fingers of the other hand. Hold for 3 sec. Repeat 5times for each hand.F. Whole hand: Spread the fingers of both hands apart and back whilekeeping your wrists straight. Hold for 3 sec. Repeat this exercise 5times for each hand.G. Head roll: Relax your shoulders and pull your head forward as faras it will go. Hold for just two seconds. Then slowly rotate yourhead along your shoulders until it is all the way back. Continuerolling around to the other side until you return to your originalposition. Roll you head in one direction three cycles, then reverseP 188/233the direction for another three cycles. Feel the upper shoulder musclesrelax. Do these slowly and feel the stretch in the neck muscles.H. Shoulder squeeze: Another excellent stretch for slouchers. Lace yourfingers behind your back with the palms facing in. Slowly raise andstraighten your arms. Hold for 5 to 10 sec. Repeat 5 to 10 times.NOTE ..EXERCISES TO HELP POSTURE