Elbow Problems

The muscles that cause your fingers to extend (straighten) and flex (bend) have attachments near your elbow. The following factors may contribute to elbow pain and discomfort:

• Repetitive movements of the fingers (such as in keyboarding) can contribute to elbow discomfort.
• The manner in which you type. Those who have a habit of striking the keyboard hard will have a greater tendency towards elbow pain.
• How you hold your arms, especially your elbows, while keyboarding.

Pounding the keys can contribute to elbow pain.

The primary symptom in the elbow is usually pain, expecially when bending the wrist while the elbow is straight. Straightening (extending) the fingers can also cause elbow pain.

Apart from excessive keyboarding, the another common cause of elbow discomfort is how the elbows are held while keyboarding. In many cases the elbows are held out away from the body in a posture that is known as "winging".

Winging is the posture whereby the albows are held away from the body while typing. This posture can place stress on the elbows, shoulders and neck.

Possible accommodations for elbow problems can include:

• Using a different keyboard.
• Using a different mouse.
• Applying ergonomic principles to your seating and positioning.