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Pain in the top of your forearm, aching on the bottom of your wrist or in your elbow, or tingling in your fingers….all problems caused by the dreaded Mouse. It's pretty easy to ignore a bit of pain or tingling. You think it will go away or that it's just something that happens occasionally when you are using the computer. In reality, these are symptoms of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and over time, if you don't make a few adjustments, you are likely to be feeling a lot more of these unwanted sensations in the months and years ahead. In fact, there are a growing number of people who have to give up their careers because they worked through these pains until they were disabled for life.
Is it the Mouse's fault? We have examined evidence from several different angles in the previous three articles; one leading to the possibility that the mouse may indeed be guilty. This final segment exposes evidence that, much to your surprise, you may actually be a guilty party, too.
Like other computer users, you have most likely developed bad habits concerning mouse use. The most important habit to break is dropping your wrist on the worksurface or wrist rest when using the mouse. Four problems occur when you plant your wrist (even on a soft wristrest!) and move the mouse: 1) you overuse your forearms, 2) causing the muscles to shorten 3) which restricts the circulation to your hand and forearm, which 4) ultimately leads to nerve compression. Resting your wrist on any surface can cause aching in your wrist, the under side of your forearm, tingling or numbness in your fingers and loss of grip. When your wrist is bent, it is not in a neutral position. The muscles and tendons on the upper side of your forearm are in a contracted state, so by the end of the day you probably are experiencing severe fatigue in this area (that is the beginning of RSI).
So please, when you pause to think, refer to documents, or wait for the computer to respond, be aware of what you are doing with your hands. Be certain your wrist is in the neutral position (knuckles even with, and fingertips lower than, your wrist). When you are using a mouse or trackball, do not plant your wrist on anything.
Does a wristrest help? It is far better to move the keyboard and mouse very close to your body so there is no space to rest your wrists at all. You are forced to relax your hands in your lap when not typing/mousing and to move the mouse with your entire arm. If this is not possible for some reason, or you cannot learn to break the habit of dropping your wrists when you are resting, there are a few wristrests which are soft enough not to cause serious compression of the nerves and limit blood supply in the wrist. You can see our recommendations on our wristrest webpage. If you have an old wristrest that is made of firm (or petrified) foam, please throw it out. Wristrests made of soft gel or beanbag materials are recommended.
Good circulation is of highest importance in the prevention and treatment of injuries. Regular exercise is recommended. Stand up, stretch, take a break, or take a little walk down the hall every ½ hour.
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