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Do your shoulders ache after a day of typing? Do your hands or wrists hurt when you spend too much time on your computer? Here are a few tips for staying pain-free while typing.

Adjust your keyboard location. Place your keyboard flat, or slightly sloping away from your body with the back lower than the front. Never raise the back of the keyboard. The optimum placement is one to two inches above your lap, only slightly lower than your elbow height. Always center the space bar to your body. Using a keyboard tray makes these adjustments simple for any user.

Improve your posture. Remember you mom saying to sit up straight? She was right. Good posture is the most important key to pain-free typing. If your chair doesn't provide enough support for your lower back, consider adding an easy-to-install, adjustable lumbar support.

Keep your wrists straight. Your arms and hand should form a straight line starting at your elbow, through your wrist and down to your middle finger. Never bend your wrists to the side, or up and down, in order to reach a higher key, or to use your mouse.

Hover over your keys. For the least amount of stress and strain, your hands and wrists should hover over the keys. Do not rest them on your desk or wrist rest while you are typing.

Only rest on your palms. Between typing stints you can rest the weight of your hands on the ball of your hands. Do not put any pressure or weight on the wrists; any surface pressure there can agitate the sensitive carpal tunnel area.

Press the keys gently. There is no need to pound on the keys. Most keyboards require very little pressure to register a keystroke. This one tip can save you significant muscle wear in your hands and wrists throughout the day.

Never reach for a key. If your hands are properly floating over the keys, it should be an easy motion to move your entire hand and arm until you fingers hover over the needed key. Any reaching or stretching will strain muscles, and wear on your tendons.

Curve your hands. As you float over the keys, with your wrists and arms forming a straight line, curving your hands into a loose ball comes almost naturally. Be especially careful that you don't allow your littlest finger or your thumb to lock straight.

Use both hands for two-key combos. If you need the Shift key (or Ctrl or Alt), always press it with the opposite hand than the one for the letter key. Trying to perform these actions with one hand will cause unnecessary wear and muscle strain.