I am writing this article from personal experience.
What is a wrist rest? A wrist rest is a device used to support your wrists while typing or when using a computer mouse. Usually wrist rests are very soft and are made with gel or soft cushion materials.
Do “wrist rests” really work? There is a long ongoing debate about this issue. This issue is really not of concern for casual computer users, but more so for people who use the computer many hours a day. Some people believe that doing repetitive tasks with their hands or wrists from a seated position could potentially lead to health issues. On one side of the spectrum, it is said that leaning the wrist on a wrist rest for extended periods of time can cause too much pressure on the underside of the wrists, which may cause carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) to develop. On the other side, wrist rests alleviate tension on the shoulders and neck helping to prevent musculoskeletal injury.
From my personal experience: I have used computers very regularly for the past 5-6 years. Sometimes up to 10 or 12 hours a day on a computer. On those extended usages, i did notice tingling feelings in my wrist. When It got to that point I usually took a short break before I came back to the computer. But for most of my computer usage life I have never used a wrist wrest. It wasn’t until about 6 months ago that I bought my first gel wrist wrest. I was very impressed with the comfort and style of the mouse pad. Over the past 6 months I have evaluated the mouse pad and it’s rest. Though the results may vary heavily depending on the design and accessibility of your workstation, I believe it is safe to say that the added comfort to the wrist outweighs any possible cons to having a wrist rest. I enjoy using the wrist rest and I have not felt any pain in my wrists since using it. In another 6 months or so I will post an update on this topic.
So should You buy a wrist rest? Well, wrist rests are generally very inexpensive ($2-$10). Therefor I think it is worth a shot to buy one and test it out. If you like the added comfort, great! If not, stop using it.
I hope everyone finds this article useful.
-Matt