Investigating effect of keyboard distance on the posture and 3D moments of wrist and elbow joints using OpenSim

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the upper extremities and computer use are common in modern societies, and both show a growing trend. This study was conducted to determine the posture and 3D moments of wrist and elbow joints at different keyboard distances on a desk. Methods Twelve healthy right-handed male volunteers attended the motion analysis laboratory. A keyboard was placed at three different distances from the participants' bodies while performing a standard computer task. The workstation was adjusted according to ANSI/HFES-100-2007 standard for each participant to maintain comfortable ergonomic posture for controlling confounding variables. Qualisys motion capture system, OpenSim software (Ver. 4.1), and visual analog scale (VAS) were used to collect and analyze the data. Also, SPSS (Ver.16) was used to descriptive, Friedman and Wilcoxon tests. Results The highest levels of wrist flexion and radial deviation as well as elbow flexion and pronation were observed when the keyboard was at the edge of the desk. When the keyboard was 8 cm away from the edge of the desk, the wrist flexion, deviation, and pronation had the least values. With increasing the distance of the keyboard from the edge of the desk, the range of motion (ROM) of the wrist flexion and deviation as well as elbow flexion, supination and pronation decreased. The joint moments were not significantly different for the different studied keyboard positions (P-value > 0.05). Conclusions However, a cut-off point has to be specified because large keyboard distances cause high extension and flexion of the limbs. The position of the keyboard relative to the body is an important parameter in computer work and has a significant impact on the posture of the upper extremities. A keyboard should be located at a distance that allows the upper extremities to remain in a neutral position so that the risk of MSDs is reduced.