Will a split keyboard improve my posture?

In our current day and age there is increased computer usage and the importance of ergonomics cannot be overstated. Many patients that we see are “office based workers” who have to spend hours each day typing on the computer which can lead to discomfort, pain and postural changes. Enter the split keyboard – a keyboard that is split in half designed to promote a more natural and wider typing angle.

In this post, we will explore the pros and cons of using a split keyboard and whether they are worth using or not.

Pros:

-         Improved posture: by separating the board in half you can position them shoulder width apart allowing your chest to widen and your thoracic spine to open up. Your wrists are also allowed to rest in a more neutral position and your shoulders can roll back further rather than forwards

-         Change position: you can change the position of the keyboard allowing your upper body to widen or narrow as needed

-         Low evidence research studies suggested that split keyboards promoted a more neutral typing posture, improved upper limb posture and participants reported fewer musculoskeletal symptoms compared to traditional keyboard use.

Cons:

-         Affect other areas of your body: some people have found that despite the split keyboard opening up the thoracic spine, their body has then compensated but creating more of a forward neck posture resulting in increased compression and stiffness through the cervical spine

-         Adjustment: switching from a traditional to a split keyboard can defintley take practice and time to get use to the layout. This can result in reduced effectiency and increased error.

-         Cost: split keyboards are more expensive than traditional keyboards

-         Evidence is limited: there is not enough evidence to support the benefits of split keyboards over traditional keyboards. In fact 1 study revealed that the traditional keyboard yielded better results in terms of text entry rates, error rates and participant preference compared to split keyboards.

Ultimately, evidence is still limited on the use of split keyboards versus traditional keyboards and more research is needed to establish concrete conclusions.