Need advice on adjusting to the new height of the keyboard

[gir489]

I figured my wrist would get used to my Deck Legend by now, considering previously I was on a Model M, but I noticed the Model M sits an inch higher than the Deck does, and that makes a world of difference when it comes to bending your wrist.

So after a weekend of resting the ball of my wrist on the table, causing immense pain and my CTS to flare up, the gears in my head started to turn and I realized I shouldn't be doing that. So after a few days of adjusting and moving my arm rests/residual height of the chair to finally match the height of the keyboard, I finally got it to where I'm not destroying my wrist.

So, now the problem is, the way my hand is resting on the chair, I can either A: Cut off circulation to my forearm + wrist, or B: cause carpel tunnel spikes.

I haven't found a perfect mediation where I don't feel I'm not slowly destroying my wrist.

So, I wanted to look in to something that might help, and I found this: http://www.amazon.com/Grifiti-Standard-Keyboards-Mechanical-Materials/dp/B004D8PYE2

The problem I see with wrist rests, is I had a gel wrist pad for a while, and it wasn't adding flat support, it was encompassing the wrist, not supporting it, causing it to put pressure on my wrist. Even the slightest amount of pressure on the valley in my wrist will cause my CTS to flare up.

So, I'm wondering what mediation solutions there are for mechanical keyboards. I was thinking about routing out a section in the desk, to allow the keyboard to sit lower in relation to the desk, so that my wrist isn't floating so high off the desk.

[Novus]

Gel rests are hard and put pressure against you.
These graffiti pads aren't gel wrists don't put any pressure so I think it's worth trying out in your case.
Though you might want to decide if you want a thick or thin grifiti rest.

[CPTBadAss]

I stack two gel wrist rests on top of each other then rest my palms on them. It sets my hands at the right height vs the keyboard for me.

[gir489]

Gel rests are hard and put pressure against you.
These graffiti pads aren't gel wrists don't put any pressure so I think it's worth trying out in your case.
Though you might want to decide if you want a thick or thin grifiti rest.

What's the difference between thick and thin? The material it's made out of?

One of the 2 star reviews says it's like resting your wrist on the desk, it's just higher. Which is pretty much what I want. I don't see think or thin described anywhere in description, though.

[Novus]

Gel rests are hard and put pressure against you.
These graffiti pads aren't gel wrists don't put any pressure so I think it's worth trying out in your case.
Though you might want to decide if you want a thick or thin grifiti rest.

What's the difference between thick and thin? The material it's made out of?

One of the 2 star reviews says it's like resting your wrist on the desk, it's just higher. Which is pretty much what I want. I don't see think or thin described anywhere in description, though.

The only difference is the thickness.
I think it's called fat vs slim
The fat one is about 2 cm high and the thin one is about .6 cm

[Razor Lotus]

The thick one is quite good actually. Much better than the thin one

EDIT: here's a link for a tiny bit more reading http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=57252.0

[fohat.digs]

I stack two gel wrist rests on top of each other then rest my palms on them. It sets my hands at the right height vs the keyboard for me.

Great idea!

But the underlying issue is a mis-match of chair and desk height.

The hydraulic lift in my chair is failing, and it is driving me crazy. After staying "up" for some hours/days/weeks it just randomly lets me down.

[Oobly]

A piece of wood or Grifiti rest would probably do the job as long as you have a good chair height vs your desk surface height. Having good seat and desk heights with the right elbow angle really makes a world of difference.

Consider giving The_Beast a call about his custom wooden rests: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=33017.0

I think Jolonnar makes some lovely leather covered ones: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=47704.0

When actually actively typing, you shouldn't be resting your palms / wrists on anything at all, you should have them raised, almost like a piano player. In between, it's fine to rest them using the ball of your palm as long as the height doesn't cause excessive wrist angle, which I guess is what is happening in this situation.

I am actually in a similar situation at work. Since bringing my mechanicals to the office I find the desk a bit too low to use as a rest. I'm considering either making myself a wooden rest or a bent acrylic one like the Ducky in 60% size.

[gir489]

I decided to order the Graffiti Fat, hoping that it will solve my problem of the wrist position.

My carpel tunnel can't take much more abuse, I think if I keep abusing it like this, I'll need surgery before I hit 27.

[davkol]

Put the keyboard on your lap, or get/build an adjustable tray. Float your hands.