Computer Ergonomics is concerned with potential and sometimes persistent injuries that can be caused by a person who uses a computer for a large part of their working day. On the scale of human history, the personal computer is a relatively new ‘tool’ that humans have had to get used to using. Computer ergonomics becomes important when you consider fingers moving around keyboards, eyeballs focusing on screens and hands wrapped around mice.
The mouse is one of the biggest culprits for injuries that physiotherapists treat. There are a few reasons for this – the amount of times that you click the mouse per day (i.e. the repetitious nature of using the mouse) and the position of the mouse. Often at the end of a long day when we are tired the mouse can tend to move further away from the keyboard. This can cause a huge amount of problems through the neck, shoulder and arm.
Similar to all other pieces of ergonomic furniture – there are a lot of mice on the market, trackballs, joystick mice, touchpad mice and just your standard looking mouse.
Choosing the right mouse for you is important and should be based on your hand size and the type of work that you are doing. The main thing is that your hand should not be in an awkward posture while using the mouse. Awkward postures as well as repetitive postures are what cause injuries such as RSI.
For myself I spend most of the day in front of the computer and so I use my mouse a lot. I was consistently getting carpal tunnel problems with wrist and finger pain. It got so bad I could only use my mouse for about 15 minutes at a time and quite often had to use my left hand on the mouse because my right hand hurt so much. Last year at a trade show I happened to be talking to the Microsoft rep about this problem. He showed me a new Microsoft “Natural’ mouse they had just introduced to the market.
This mouse is designed to conform to your hand in its most relaxed position. Breakthrough ergonomic design and the tilted, elevated hand position is designed to reduce pressure on the carpal tunnel and wrist. I instantly thought it was a great idea and purchased one as soon as I got home. The main idea behind the natural mouse is that when holding it your hand is rotated to a more natural position. So try this: Put your right hand flat on a desk. Do you feel a bit of pressure in your wrist? Now rotate your wrist about 30 degrees clockwise. Do you notice how much more natural that feels. This is the position that the Microsoft natural mouse uses. I found that it takes a few days to get used to the natural mouse as your normal mouse motions will cause the cursor to move sideways more. Stick with it though as it soon becomes natural to use. My carpal tunnel and wrist pain is totally gone and I can use the natural mouse all day long without any pain in my wrist.
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| MS Natural Wireless Mouse 6000 MSRP $89.95 |
So if you have wrist pain or carpel tunnel syndrome try the Microsoft Natural Wireless Mouse 6000. MSRP is $89.95
Some key points regarding a mouse:
•Ensure that the mouse stays close to the keyboard – don’t let it drift away throughout the day
•If you are not using the mouse, remove your hand from it, it’s not going anywhere!
•Minimize the amount of time you spend using the scroll button – using this a lot with the one finger can cause strain through that tendon
•It’s a good idea to be able to use your non – dominant hand, this will give your dominant hand a break
- Dave P, Senior Account Manager
Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner #1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2 Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896 Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca
or service@northerncomputer.ca or visit http://www.northerncomputer.ca/
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