Common Mistakes When Using a Wrist Pillow

Most people who spend a lot of time in front of a keyboard and mouse eventually experience some sort of wrist pain, though it’s not limited to just computer people – sometimes, it’ll show up from overuse injuries from golf, or tennis. While wrist pain is usually a twinge that goes away on its own, they can degenerate to acute pain or numbness that can interfere with your life.

Here is the part where you must consult your doctor for proper treatment of your wrist pain, which can range from the RICE protocol to surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. Did you know, however, that you can avoid the psychological and physical pain, not to mention the financial strain, which wrist pain can bring with a simple pillow for the wrist?

What It Is

A wrist pillow is exactly what it sounds like; it’s some form of soft pillow that you can put under your wrist to cushion the pressure on the joint, tendon sheathes and nerve sheathes. Most can be bought in computer stores, and there are ones that sit in front of your keyboard or are integrated into mouse pads. Many of these can be had in choices of colors, though they’re usually neutral for blending into offices – they’re gray, blue and black. If you buy them online, they can be customized with company logos.

Other ways to get this kind of wrist support can be had around the house; rolling up a towel and putting it under your wrists at the keyboard can work, or you can find online videos that will walk you through the steps of a more elaborate craft project; stuffing them can be done with old socks, discarded bits of yarn or other soft pliant materials. Doing it yourself also lets you make it as colorful as you like.

What It Can Do for You

While wrist pillows are cheap, they give some pretty nice benefits. They’re one of the best ways out there to prevent repetitive stress injuries, brought on by keyboarding or mouse-clicking for hours on end. If you’ve got kids, encouraging them to use these pillows can save them health problems later in life. Properly made, wrist wrests also encourage proper posture for the wrists and forearms when typing.

For wrist pillows tied to a mouse, they also make using the mouse more ergonomic and efficient; they keep the mouse pad from slipping all over the place. For ones under the keyboard’s lip, they do a great job of adjusting your typing posture.

In addition to these immediate benefits, your wrist pillow will help ward off medical conditions. Carpal tunnel syndrome is becoming ever more prevalent, and more common in younger people, many of whom have been typing with poor form since grade school. Prevention is much less expensive and painful than physical therapy, and wrist pillows are a great (and affordable) method of preventing injury.

And did we mention the fact that treating these medical conditions involves a great deal of your time and money? Now, that is one good reason why you need a wrist pillow today.

Tom Nicholson has spent years caring for carpal tunnel sufferers. Please click here to find out more regarding having asore wrist.