ERGONOMIC STUDY OF ALTERNATIVE KEYBOARD DESIGNS

其中一个日益增长的职业相关的问题，在这两个 制造业和服务业是手和手腕累积 创伤性疾病（CTD），其中腕管综合征（CTS）是最常见的 广为宣传。人们普遍认为，CTD与 重复和/或用力用力的手和手腕进行， 工作环境。CTD的发病率和费用每年都在上升- - 向美国政府报告的受伤和疾病中 是由于反复的创伤，平均费用为2万美元。 CTD在美国的文书服务部门一直很麻烦， 就业人数超过1800万人（统计数据）。摘要 美国，1992年）。许多文书工作者每小时要敲5万到10万个键， 天最近，有一系列的法律的案件 声称CTD的用户对计算机键盘制造商的投诉 受伤虽然键盘职业性CTD的确切原因 用户是不知道的，它似乎是偏离手腕和前臂姿势 （尺偏和旋前）由标准设计决定 扁平键盘与职业性CTD的病因有关。内 近几年来，厂家推出了几款新的替代键盘 设计已经进入市场，每一个声称他们的键盘减少 操作员的肌肉骨骼压力。通常，这些替代方案 键盘被分成两半并在水平面内旋转， 减少尺偏，并在垂直面下降，以减轻 前臂旋前然而，很少有定量数据， 这些键盘的基本设计是否真的减少了 手腕和前臂的姿势和减轻肌肉骨骼的压力。 本研究的具体目的是确定 替代键盘的基本设计对 上肢的运动学运动模式--即 替代键盘的操作者具有较少伤害性的运动模式 比使用标准平板键盘的用户更容易。另一个目的是 研究是为了确定键盘的设计是否会影响 CTS早期操作者的运动模式不同于 健康的运营商 这项研究的长期目标是提高安全性， 键盘操作员的健康，减少发病率，严重程度， 计算机工作环境中肌肉骨骼疾病的成本。这 研究不仅可以提高键盘用户的生活质量， 还可以减少医疗保健费用，这将有利于雇员，雇主， 和国民经济。

One of the growing occupationally-related problems in both the manufacturing and service industries is that of hand and wrist cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs), of which carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most widely publicized. It is widely accepted that CTDs are related to repetitive and/or forceful exertions of the hand and wrist performed in work environments. The incidence and costs of CTDs are rising every year - - over 50% of the injuries and iilnesses reported to the U.S. Government are due to repeated trauma, with an average cost of $20,000. CTDs have been troublesome in the clerical service sector in the U.S., which has an employment base of over 18,000,000 (Stat. Abstract of the U.S., 1992). Many clerical workers exert 50,000 to 100,000 key strokes per day. Recently, there has been an onslaught of legal cases against manufacturers of computer keyboards by users who have claimed CTD injuries. While the exact cause of occupationally-induced CTDs in keyboard users is not known, it appears that the deviated wrist and forearm posture (ulnar deviation and pronation) dictated by the design of the standard flat keyboard is implicated in the etiology of occupational CTDs. Within the past few years, manufacturers of several new alternative keyboard designs have entered the market, each one claiming their keyboard reduces the musculoskeletal stress on the operator. Typically, these alternative keyboards are split into halves and rotated in the horizontal plane to reduce ulnar deviation and are declined in the vertical plane to lessen forearm pronation. However, little quantitative data are available as to whether the fundamental design of these keyboards actually reduce deviated wrist and forearm posture and lessen musculoskeletal stress. The specific aim of this research study is to determine whether the fundamental designs of alternative keyboards have a beneficial effect on the kinematic motion patterns in the upper extremity -- i.e. whether operators of alternative keyboards have less injurious motion patterns than those of users of the standard flat keyboard. Another aim of this research is to determine whether the design of the keyboard affects the motion patterns of operators in the early stage of CTS differently than healthy operators. The long term objective of this research is to improve the safety and health of keyboard operators by reducing the incidence, severity, and costs of musculoskeletal disorders in computer work environments. This research could not only enhance the quality of life of keyboard users, but also reduce health care costs, which would benefit employees, employers, and the national economy.