Mouse Use - Rid Yourself of Pests

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Look for these small critters hiding out near your mouse. Just start using your mouse and watch them come out of the woodwork, threatening your mouse and your hand’s health. We’ll give you tips on how to eradicate these pests.

1.Handus Hoveramus

Known for having fingers suspended over the buttons only pouncing to click and creating static tension in the hand and forearm muscles. Can also infect keyboards.

Eradication Tips:

Rest your fingers on the buttons (if you rest them lightly the buttons shouldn’t click)
Slide your hand forward on the mouse slightly – it doesn’t have to be your fingertip on the button
Consider a different type of input device e.g. trackballs which give your fingers a place to rest without clicking

2.Mouse Stranglers and Mousus Liftalot

These predators also lead to significant tension in the hand and particularly the thumb. Often associated with intense work styles and / or a feeling of “running out of mouse space”.

Eradication Tips:

Adjust your mouse speed settings – a more sensitive mouse needs less space.

The Mouse Trap Of Ergonomics

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It’s hard to believe that 20 years ago, computers weren’t used much at work and the mouse had only recently been invented (1984). Today, using the mouse is a fundamental part of the workday. Unfortunately, intensive use of these or other secondary input devices can be a source of discomfort or pain. Hopefully, our advice will keep you from feeling the pain of the mouse trap.

BEWARE the mouse “trap”

• Do you have a love/hate relationship with your mouse?
• Do you have more quality contact time with your mouse than your spouse?
• Here are the fast facts on this workplace pest.

Get a grip

• Your mouse position and set-up dictates your shoulder and wrist posture.
• Your work habits can make the problem worse.
• Park your wrist in ‘neutral’ and relax your grip on the wheel.
• Inhale, exhale, repeat as necessary.

The wedge or the putter?

Standard mice fit most people’s hands and meet the demands of day to day computing. However, if you’re a high intensity computer user or have discomfort, alternative input devices can help you minimize the stress on your wrist and arm.

Shadow puppets

Once you understand that repetition and awkward postures can lead to discomfort – what can you do to manage? Stretching and exercises can help to ease the tension in overworked muscles.

Mouse Use - What to avoid

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It’s quite interesting, when you watch someone play a sport, everyone uses a different technique. The same goes for using the mouse.

Do you perform the “Vulcan death grip” on your mouse? Or do you find yourself chasing your runaway mouse to the back of the desk?

Many of us have little idiosyncrasies that we have picked up over our years of chasing the mouse around the desk.

In the end – there isn’t one way that everyone should hold the mouse but there are some habits that you should try to avoid.

1. Avoid using the mouse with the wrist bent to the side. Ideally, you should be able to draw a straight line through the forearm and through your index/middle finger.
2. Similarly, your wrist should be in a straight line if you look at it from the side. Avoid using the mouse with your wrist bent upward.
3. Avoid resting the underneath of your wrist on the desk (or the wrist rest) and pivoting your wrist like a windshield wiper. This puts pressure on the Carpal Tunnel and can lead to discomfort in your wrist or hand.
4. Avoid over gripping your mouse. Some people squeeze their mouse like they are doing hand exercises.
5. Watch your mouse hand when you are working in a mouse intensive program – do you ‘relax’ your hand when you aren’t using the mouse or are you hovering (continuing to hold the mouse with your hand muscles still tense)

If you hover or hold, try resting the side of your hand (palms face in) on the desk or wrist rest when your computer is doing the work instead. Even for just a few seconds this neutral “microbreak” greatly reduces strain.

Right Wrists!

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Wrist Revelations

If you have a keyboard tray and you know how to type without looking at the keyboard, see if your keyboard tray can tilt forward. Tilting your tray forward 5-10 degrees will help to put your wrist in ‘neutral’ (from a side profile).

If you ‘anchor’ your wrist to your desk while typing, flatten the legs on the back of your keyboard to improve your wrist posture. This helps you to avoid typing with the wrists bent backward.

Make sure that you have the right equipment and accessories. If you can’t stop yourself from resting your wrists on your desk, use a wrist rest.

REMEMBER: Wrist rests are to be used when RESTING, not all of the time!

LOOK for wrist rests that are comfortable (e.g. gel) and not too high. Consider ‘ergonomic input devices’ (keyboard, mice) that promote a neutral/straight wrist angle. Ergonomic keyboards help by eliminating bending the wrist to the side while typing. Vertical mice help put your wrist in neutral (handshake) posture and eliminate anchoring. Doublecheck that your elbow height and keyboard height are approximately equal – helping to minimize awkward wrist postures. Adjust your mouse settings so that you can cover the majority of your screen without re-positioning your mouse.

Wrist Care

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Our wrist and hand muscles work best when they are in ‘neutral’ position. Our office jobs have become so specialized and repetitious that even seemingly minor movement habits and awkward postures can add up over time and lead to discomfort or injury. Here are some of the most common issues that we see:

• Working with the wrists resting on the desk when using the keyboard or mouse.
• Resting on the wrists AND working with the wrists bent backward when typing or using the input device.
• Anchoring the wrist to the desk then using the wrist like a windshield wiper when using the mouse.
• Resting the wrist and base of the palm on the desk or desk edge when typing or using the mouse.
• This leads to pressure on the carpal tunnel and promotes poor wrist posture (see picture)
• Working with the wrists bent to the side when using a conventional keyboard or mouse for a high percentage of the day.

When the wrist is bent backward or the palm rests on a desk edge or hard surface, friction is created between the tendons, their protective sheath and the bones and ligaments of the wrist. Think of it as a string rubbing over the corner of a desk. Over time, the string can become hot and frayed. Similar reactions may occur when we work repetitiously with the wrist in awkward posture. This can lead to wrist and hand injuries over time.

Ergo Tip: To protect your wrists and hands, consider installing ‘microbreak’ software such as WorkSafe Sam or Workrave.

Keyboard and workspace set up tips

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The golden rule for any workstation is to ‘Fit your workstation to you’. First get yourself comfortable in your chair, (hips and back supported, elbows at 90 degrees at your side), and then bring the work to you.

• your computer, documents and other office tools should slide forward and be positioned to fit you so that you can work in this comfortable position
• bring your keyboard toward you to touch your fingertips
• bring your monitor close enough and high enough that you don’t need to move your head or neck to view your work

Laptops

If you are working off of a laptop at home, the number one item on your wish list should be an external keyboard and mouse. If you don’t have these, your body is in a catch-22. Either your head must look down at the screen or your shoulders hunch up to reach the keyboard.

An external keyboard and mouse will allow you to raise your monitor and keep your input devices close.

• For shorter individuals, keyboard trays are an essential piece to the puzzle. Simple, sliding keyboard trays can position your keyboard and mouse 3” lower, allowing a significantly more relaxed posture than working with the keyboard on the desk.
• For taller people, finding ways to lift/raise your desk or monitor can be the simple fix to help you find a perfect fit.

Hand and Wrist Health - Keyboards and Mouse

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Human hands are unique and one of our greatest assets. Can you imagine not being able to work with your hands? Unchecked, signs and symptoms of wrist discomfort can progress to severe pain that impacts every part of your life.

Common signs and symptoms in the hand include discomfort, stiffness, numbness, tingling, redness, and weakness.

Some of the most common reasons that we develop problems with our wrists and hands are:

• Wrists bent upwards or to the side when typing
• Using repetitive sideways wrist movements with the wrist bent backward when using the mouse (awkward postures)
• Using our wrist as an anchor point, resting it down on a hard surface when using the mouse or keyboard (contact stress)
• Overloading of one hand (and arm). For example, accountants, graphics designers and CAD technicians do over 80% of their work with their right hand (extremely high number pad and mouse use).
• Using the keyboard or mouse with awkward postures of the fingers (e.g. see the picture on the bottom right).
• Working with the thumbs bent backward and with the pinkie fingers raised are more common than you may think
• Not giving our wrists and hands time to rest throughout the day
• It can be difficult to modify the work that we do in our job. However, we can control when we take breaks, when we alternate between desk work and other work and our posture throughout the day.

Take a look at our ‘Microbreak’ guide to get a few suggestions on how to give your hands a break

Mouse Types and Purposes

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While standard mice fit most people’s hands and meet the demands of day to day computing, there are some circumstances where alternative input devices can be beneficial.

One of the most important things to realize is that newer input devices are designed to address specific user needs.

A few of the common types of alternative input devices and their purpose follow:

• Vertical mice – position the wrist into a neutral (handshake) position, decreasing stress on the wrist and forearm.
• Contoured mice – position the wrist closer to a neutral position (somewhere between hand flat on the desk and the handshake position)
• Trackball – designed to allow the user to move the ball rather than the whole device (typically reduces reaching, repetitive wrist motion, good for limited mouse space)
• Left/Bilateral mice – designed for left hand use or to allow the user to switch between right and left handed mouse use.
• Central – some newer devices are designed to be positioned near the centre of the bottom of the keyboard. Generally, the aim is to reduce reaching and wrist motion.
• Graphics tablets – highly specialized devices, typically used for users working in graphics applications.

Unfortunately, the ‘perfect’ mouse hasn’t been designed yet, there are always tradeoffs. That’s why it is important to make sure that you choose the right tool for the job. And that right tool will be specific to you, your hand size and your work tasks. But beware – without careful selection, a new device may transfer the stress to another part of the body.

2 Levels = Big No-No!

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The keyboard and mouse belong together on the same level. Some furniture designers make this difficult to accomplish. 

The picture on the right is a classic example of a relatively modern computer workstation with the mouse on the desk and the keyboard at a lower level.

If you put your hand on this person’s right shoulder, you would feel their muscles working overtime. As well, the weight of their arm is supported by their wrist on the desktop. Over time, this can contribute to discomfort.

Take a moment and check your workstation – are you on the level?

Sometimes the answer is changing a keyboard tray; sometimes it’s putting the keyboard and mouse at the desk level.