Mouse use and muscular pain

[Andre S. Veteran]

My mother uses the computer pretty much all the time on her new job, and she experiences muscular pain in her right hand and arm, the one she uses with the mouse. She suffers from Fibromyalgia to begin with, so any repeated movement or prolonged effort is particularly likely to cause pain in her case. It's to the point where she may be forced to quit her job if she doesn't find a solution.

I've trying to give her advice to put her arm and wrist in the correct position while holding the mouse, based on my own experience and a few quick searches on the net, but I'm not an expert. Any good resources on mouse-related ergonomics appreciated.

Also I wonder if a trackball would be a solution, and if so, what models are best. Or if anything else exist that could replace the mouse as a pointing device.

Thanks for the help.

[remixedcat]

I use a trackball and it's helped my wrist a lot it's a

Logitech marble mouse

and they can be had for aorund 30 bucks

Been using this same one for years now and it works great.

[+Xinok Subscriber²]

Perhaps if you could find a cheap graphics tablet, but I have no insight on the matter, so don't take my word for it.

[John S. Veteran]

As an aside here...my mom, sis, and wife all have Fibro. Dunno what your mom takes to deal with it, but my mom and my sis are getting great results from Lyrica. They're sleeping better and having much less aches and pains. My wife hasn't made the switch because she's dreading weaning off her current meds before she could switch.

[Vykranth]

Here are two ergonomics at work guides, one from HP, one from Microsoft:

* http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/ergo/index.html

* http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/support/ergonomic-comfort

After that, some personal experience

* One of my colleague is currently using a vertical mouse from http://www.evoluent.com/. From his feedback, he has much less wrist pains.

* an other colleague ended up with a prescription for new glasses. She had a bad correction on one of her eyes and she ended up with a bad posture at her computer desk as she unknowillingly tried to compensate. She tried various mouses, trackballs to no avail.

In both cases, they consulted a doctor specialized in ergonomics.

[neoraptor]

just get them normal big mouse with place for the thumb. I had serious issues with a normal old-school logitech couple of years ago and I also moved my mouse as far as possible on the desk so my hand is fully rested on it.

[Andre S. Veteran]

Thanks a lot guys, very much appreciated. :)

[Rudy]

I use the computer around 12-15hrs / day (more some days :/) and at work I still use a regular mouse with a wirst pad...not the best but better than nothing. At home what made the biggest change for me was when I started using an Apple Magic Trackpad, since my wrist doesn't rub on the desk as much anymore it's MUCH better!

[patseguin Global Moderator]

I've never been a fan of trackballs because I could never get precise enough movement. In your Mom's case it might be a viable option though. A touchpad might make a lot of sense too. Logitech makes a real nice one, she can move the pointer with her fingers and click with simple taps.

[Guest]

Hows about a desktop trackpad?

http://www.ebuyer.com/282973-logitech-wireless-touchpad-910-002442?utm_source=google&utm_medium=products

[Azies]

I use the PC literally all day, and I used to get some pretty wicked back, wrist and hand pain, but it went away eventually. I just had to improve my posture, but I know where you're coming from, my mother suffers from Fibromyalgia too, so has my sister, and my grandmother, and all my Aunts, and most of my Uncles, so far I haven't developed it, whatever it is, I'm either immune to it, or never got it. -knocks on wood-

[Guest]

There's actually a lot of debate as to whether Fibromyalgia should be considered a single condition as it umbrellas so many different individual issues that can be diagnosed separately... bit off point oh well :p

[surrealvortex]

I am right-handed, but use the mouse with my left hand. This reduces stress a lot.

[Fish]

There used to be a guy in our office who suffered from RSI while using a mouse. We got him a trackball and he found it much more comfortable to use.

[BetaAddict]

Would also consider making sure the desktop also more ergonomic. Consider a desk with low height and ensure the desk allows the chair to situation properly underneath to allow resting of the elbow. This will greatly reduce the amount of muscle tone required to maintain the mouse holding position.

[WilcoGamer]

Its all about having a good posture and comfortable setup with the right height desk and comfortable chair

[remixedcat]

as long as it's not busby's chair!!!

[flynempire]

I once had a case of Carpal Tunnel. I had to do some exercises for awhile and they helped. I do have to work on a machine 10-12hrs a day so I have to be careful how I position my wrists. A track ball or track pad might be the best bet for her.

I have used them but still prefer my mini mouse from Logitech. What about something with a touch screen? Could that help her?

iWilcon is right the right posture and positioning of the devices will also help a lot. I should have mentioned my problem occurred over 10 years ago.

[Dan~]

Buy her a power ball, as this helps me, haven't got to go mental just 5 mins here and there and she should see a vast improvement

[Astra.Xtreme]

The simple option would be to get a mouse pad with wrist rests:

http://www.staples.com/Staples-Mouse-Pad-with-Gel-Wrist-Rest-Blue-Crystal/product_811891

And also get a mouse with adjustable DPI, so she could crank it up and then won't have to move her wrist as much.

Or she could buy one of those Bowling braces:

http://www.bowlersdream.com/stormgadget.html

Her coworkers will be forced to give her mass respect since she'll look like a robot. :rofl: