Split Keyboards better for you?

[DavidPneumonic]

Anyone use a split pane keyboard like the MS Sculpt? I'm experiencing hand pain lately, not sure if it's from the keyboard or mouse, or perhaps a combo of both.

 

Are the split keyboards really more ergonomic?

 

Thx,

[Yogurth]

Is it the mouse hand that hurts? if so there is a simple solution. Went through it myself.

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

46 minutes ago, DavidPneumonic said:

Anyone use a split pane keyboard like the MS Sculpt? I'm experiencing hand pain lately, not sure if it's from the keyboard or mouse, or perhaps a combo of both.

 

Are the split keyboards really more ergonomic?

 

Thx,

Hello!

 

Depending on the severity of your pain, you should decide for yourself when to go to a doctor for an X-Ray scan or visit a neurologist.

 

However, there are a couple of simple things you could do to see if your pain goes away.

 

I highly suggest that you get yourself a mousepad with a cushion, a wrist-rest and do some physical exercises aimed at flexing your wrists, stretching the muscles of your fingers and hands. 

 

How to Fix Sore Wrists: Simple Exercises to Get Your Wrists Feeling Good and Moving Well

Slideshow: 10 Ways to Exercise Hands and Fingers

10 Stretches for Wrists and Hands

 

Cheers!

[DavidPneumonic]

Thanks guys. I'm already following some hand exercises online (like here and here), and that's probably why the pain doesn't carry over to the next day. But I want to fix this problem, not treat it afterwards.

[GrayW]

Hey,

 

I use the MS Sculpt mouse & keyboard every single day at work, it has made a huge difference for me. I used to get pain from my wrists all the way up to my shoulders, now I don't. For me, it was well worth the investment.

[Yogurth]

31 minutes ago, DavidPneumonic said:

Thanks guys. I'm already following some hand exercises online (like here and here), and that's probably why the pain doesn't carry over to the next day. But I want to fix this problem, not treat it afterwards.

This came from Visualisation industry veterans more than 10 years ago and it sorted my pain within a week. Try it out and report back.

 

The way to properly use the mouse and keyboard combo for this type of work where one of Your hands is bound to keyboard and other to a mouse is simple. You have to keep elbow of Your mouse hand always leaned on the desk at the same level as Your mouse, always.  Next thing to do is to move Your default mouse position between You and the keyboard so that the keyboard is ~15 cm further away towards the monitor and that Your mouse movements are unhampered. That is it. No need to invest in anything, I work like that for the past 10 years without a mouse pad, without giant ergo mouses or split keyboards and the pain never came back.

[Sszecret Veteran]

Can also vouch for the Sculpt Ergo, as I've used it for the past 4+ years. It definitely has some quirks and it took me about a week to really get used to the split layout, but like GrayW above, it's made a pretty big difference. At about $130 it's not exactly what you'd call cheap, but it's definitely worth it. The newer Surface Ergonomic Keyboard ( https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/accessories/surface-ergonomic-keyboard ) is basically the newer version, though it uses Bluetooth instead of the USB dongle thingy that the Sculpt Ergo comes with. It also only comes in that grey colour instead of the stealthier black finish of the old one, and doesn't have a separate Numpad or a riser (both of which come with the older model). The rather huge mouse is weird at first, but incredibly comfortable to hold.

 

From personal experience, the AA and AAA batteries on the mouse and keyboard lasted me about 4 to 5 months with pretty heavy daily use, while the coin battery in the Numpad module lasted 3+ years - but with much less frequent use. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that the keyboard isn't backlit, if that's something you're looking for.

 

I'm happy to answer whatever other questions you have to the best of my ability.