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How to choose the best ergonomic mouse for your hand . . . and why it's important.
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Good Mouse
It supports the hand and keeps the wrist and finger joints supported. |
Bad Mouse
This mouse requires that the hand grasp it with the thumb and ring finger, which causes forearm fatigue. |
What makes a good mouse, anatomically speaking?
A good mouse supports your hand, keeps the wrist straight and the finger joints supported. Beyond the mouse itself, the best support for your hand is provided when you are also seated in a good chair which supports the back and the shoulders. Effective arm rests will hold your elbows at a 90 degree bend which will allow the wrist to be straight during mouse operations.
—Cathleen Amwake, OTR/L, MOD Solution Founder
 Support the bones in your hand: Notice in the picture (left) the outline of the bones, and the hand supported by the mouse. From the side view you can see how one of two arches in the hand is supported—this arch is important to pain-free hand function. When your joints are supported, the muscles do not have to work so hard. Note how the bones just touch each other—they are held together by ligaments. Over time, arthritic changes erode everyone’s joints and ligaments so that mechanical stress to hand joints can become an issue. This mechanical stress is often seen in the workplace when a worker has to grasp a mouse that does not properly fit the hand.
Protect your Wrist from risk: The bones in your hands connect and touch each other in a variety of ways at the wrist—ways that are different than how the bones touch each other in the fingers and thumb. This allows the hand to have dexterity at the wrist for many functions and activities that we engage in every day. For many of us, working at a computer both at home and at work puts the wrist at risk. Here’s how:
Holding your wrist in any of the following positions can cause discomfort or damage:
Additional risk is caused when your method of mouse use is poor.
 Today's office activity can stress arthritic joints: Arthritis is a disease that tends to deteriorate the joints. Joint stiffness, joint deformity and loss of range of motion are common problems associated with arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis tends to create more joint deformity and loss of range of motion, while osteoarthritis tends to create more joint stiffness and enlarged joints. Both diagnoses are painful, yet pain reduction can be achieved with use of good computer ergonomics. However, it is important not to assume that your hand pain is simply arthritis and not the result of musculoskeletal stress. This is a common misconception and you as the employee need to assess your own situation and ask for input from your company’s safety or health providers.
Without workplace ergonomics and selection of proper tools and equipment, there is potential for the hand—even a hand not yet affected by trauma or disease—to become painful in the joints and muscles. Over time, using a mouse that does not fit the hand stresses hand joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons and can contribute to hand discomfort.
To decrease this risk of stressing joints—whether or not you have suffered trauma or disease—be sure you are using the right ergonomic mouse, the right keyboard and other tools and equipment to support your physical framework.
By purchasing the best ergonomic mouse, you will help protect your hand from future discomfort.
 Don't squeeze the mouse: The mouse and hand position shown at left illustrates how so many of us tend to grasp and hold the mouse, which leads to muscle fatigue of the hand and forearm. We are usually unaware of how long we have maintained that position as we study information on the computer monitor. This creates muscle tightness in the middle of the forearm on the palm side and causes joint stiffness in the thumb and fingers. Muscle cramps in the hand can result from static contraction of the hand-based muscles. If you are a mouse squeezer then your mouse hand will generally ache deeply and may progress to tingling and numbness. It can worsen as the week goes on and then recover over your days off, reoccurring once the work demands return. This is a good sign that you may be using the wrong mouse or performing the mouse function incorrectly.
Click here for Mod Solutions’ convenient
Ergonomic Mouse Shopping Tip Sheet. |
