The Quest for the Perfect Mouse
by Susann Kress
“Which one of these is the best one-I don’t care how much it costs” a patient with wrist tendonitis asks after being sent to me for physical therapy, as he pulls out a stack of papers with pictures of objects that only vaguely resemble what most people would recognize as a computer mouse.
Like a parade of exotic animals I gaze upon what lays before me: “the J-mouse”, “the joystick mouse”, “the wheel mouse”, even a specimen called the “the foot mouse”…
Although some people can benefit greatly from substituting poorly adjusted computer equipment, this will not be the focus of this article. A great new mouse is not some kind of magic bullet against repetitive strain injury or RSI. I have seen too many patients that started out with wrist tendonitis, only to develop a new onset of finger joint and tendon problems after being switched to a new mouse that substitutes the repetitive wrist motion with a track ball that requires continues use of their fingers. Another common scenario is a patient that was advised to switch sides for their mouse use only to end up with bilateral hand/wrist problems.
I work at an orthopedic clinic in Cupertino right around the corner from Apple Computer, the same company that creates new and shiny gadgets on a daily basis. It is often people from this same industry that seek our services for a RSI after years of spending 8-12 hours/day behind the computer and are searching for the perfect tool that will keep their body functioning at the same high level that they have demanded from it. When suggesting to them regularly scheduled times each day to stretch and exercise, they often look at me as if I had just asked them to give up their first borne child to me. The words “break” and “exercise” is enough to trigger a fight or flight response in them.
However, the cause of Repetitive Strain Injury boils down to a simple equation and within it also lays the answer for a potential cure:
Repetition + Force + Lack of Rest = RSI (tendonitis, tenosynovitis, nerve compression)
Ergonomics are important at avoiding injury but so is people’s willingness to take frequent breaks to stretch as well as exercise regularly. From my experience, there are no shortcuts although people will continue to look for them, since taking time out of their busy work day to stretch or limit their computer use requires them to change on a deeper level. It means putting their health and body first, not their work although in the long run this approach will benefit their working careers.
One of my favorite tools to aid people on the road to avoiding/recovering from RSI is a piece of software such as “Stretch Break Pro” that actually blocks the user from further performing any tasks on the computer until a series of timed stretches are performed. The frequency and breaks are determined by the user and so is the stretch duration. It may not be as cool as a brand new and shiny “joystick mouse” but it is defiantly a step in the right direction.
