owever, there are some generally accepted guidelines when it comes to sitting at a computer for several hours a day, day after day. Here's a look at some.

Keyboards: Wrist Position is Key

The ideal computing position, most agree, is to be sitting upright or slightly recl

When managers hear the word ergonomics, they usually think of money - as in what it will cost them to outfit workstations with new equipment.

You Don't Have to Spend Lots of Cash

In reality the money needed may be minimal. Your employees' health should be the overriding concern, says Dan Eisman, Vice President of marketing and product development for HealthyComputing.com. Simple adjustments to a computing environment - such as getting a better chair - may cost little but can make a huge difference to injuries and employee absences.

Understanding how poor positioning combined with no breaks can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) should be a priority for anyone who works at a PC or employs people who do.

Businesses very often don't need to completely overhaul the workplace, Eisman says. "But if you have the knowledge, you can better know what to do and what to spend," he says. He advises employers to learn about what triggers wrist pain and other repetitive-stress injuries, and spend time watching and training their employees.

Because people come in different shapes and sizes, solutions to ergonomic problems differ. However, there are some generally accepted guidelines when it comes to sitting at a computer for several hours a day, day after day. Here's a look at some.

Keyboards: Wrist Position is Key

The ideal computing position, most agree, is to be sitting upright or slightly recl

e the overriding concern, says Dan Eisman, Vice President of marketing and product development for HealthyComputing.com. Simple adjustments to a computing environment - such as getting a better chair - may cost little but can make a huge difference to injuries and employee absences.

Understanding how poor positioning combined with no breaks can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) should be a priority for anyone who works at a PC or employs people who do.

Businesses very often don't need to completely overhaul the workplace, Eisman says. "But if you have the knowledge, you can better know what to do and what to spend," he says. He advises employers to learn about what triggers wrist pain and other repetitive-stress injuries, and spend time watching and training their employees.

Because people come in different shapes and sizes, solutions to ergonomic problems differ. However, there are some generally accepted guidelines when it comes to sitting at a computer for several hours a day, day after day. Here's a look at some.

Keyboards: Wrist Position is Key

The ideal computing position, most agree, is to be sitting upright or slightly recl

ng how poor positioning combined with no breaks can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) should be a priority for anyone who works at a PC or employs people who do.

Businesses very often don't need to completely overhaul the workplace, Eisman says. "But if you have the knowledge, you can better know what to do and what to spend," he says. He advises employers to learn about what triggers wrist pain and other repetitive-stress injuries, and spend time watching and training their employees.

Because people come in different shapes and sizes, solutions to ergonomic problems differ. However, there are some generally accepted guidelines when it comes to sitting at a computer for several hours a day, day after day. Here's a look at some.

Keyboards: Wrist Position is Key

The ideal computing position, most agree, is to be sitting upright or slightly recl

tter know what to do and what to spend," he says. He advises employers to learn about what triggers wrist pain and other repetitive-stress injuries, and spend time watching and training their employees.

Because people come in different shapes and sizes, solutions to ergonomic problems differ. However, there are some generally accepted guidelines when it comes to sitting at a computer for several hours a day, day after day. Here's a look at some.

Keyboards: Wrist Position is Key

The ideal computing position, most agree, is to be sitting upright or slightly recl

owever, there are some generally accepted guidelines when it comes to sitting at a computer for several hours a day, day after day. Here's a look at some.

Keyboards: Wrist Position is Key

The ideal computing position, most agree, is to be sitting upright or slightly reclined. Your shoulders should be straight, upper arms hanging straight down, close to your body, and elbows at a 90-degree angle. Your forearms and hands should be flat and your hands relaxed.

All this leaves your wrists in a neutral position - just what you want, says Edie Adams, manager of user research for Microsoft's hardware division. Those who type with their wrists pointed up or down, or extended outward or inward, are asking for trouble. It usually means they're sitting too close or too far away, or they don't have a keyboard that suits them.

Split keyboards - ergonomically designed and sloped in the middle - are growing in use and popularity, although they still account for 10% of sales. Adams says that one reason for their use is that - for most people - they do a better job of ensuring that the wrists remain in a neutral position. Microsoft manufactures both flat and split keyboards, but Adams foresees more users migrating to the split keyboard because of its ergonomic enhancements.

"Based on our research, there is more of a chance of being comfortable with a spli