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In our last two episodes, we considered the evidence on whether the mouse is to blame for wrist, hand, arm, or elbow pain. We suggested learning some Keyboard Shortcuts to reduce your reliance on the mouse. It also could be possible that your current mouse may not fit your hand or computer tasks as well as it could.
If you are experiencing problems, your mousing surface may be the wrong. If it is too high or too low, you will experience back pain and shoulder tension, as well as forearm and hand strain. To determine the correct height for your keyboard and mouse, refer to our webpage: Workstation Design.
Your keyboard should be no higher than your elbow (unless you need to look at the keys to type) and the mouse surface should never be lower or significantly higher than the keyboard. Your wrists should remain flat while using the mouse.
If your keyboard surface is not adjustable and is too high, or if your elbows are the same height as your thighs, you will need to install a keyboard tray or use a lap board. You can see these products on our worksurface products webpage.
If the mouse is too high, your elbow has to bend sharply when your hand is on the mouse, causing compression of the ulnar nerve and reduced circulation in your elbow. In addition, your wrist is likely to contact the edge of the surface. When your wrist is resting on the edge of a hard surface, you are restricting necessary circulation, causing forearm tension, and putting pressure on the tendons running through your wrist to your fingers. You might experience tingling and numbness in your fingers as a result.
Be sure to keep the mouse as close as possible to the side of your keyboard to avoid reaching and the resulting incorrect elbow and wrist position.
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