Relieving Carpel Tunnel Syndrome and Increasing Computer Productivity

Dan says on November 3rd, 2006 at 10:13 am

Or get a tablet. These make a huge difference to moving the mouse; its faster, more accurate, and you don’t even need to move the mouse.

Anonymous says on November 3rd, 2006 at 10:47 pm

Dan says:
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“Or get a tablet. These make a huge difference to moving the mouse; its faster, more accurate, and you don’t even need to move the mouse.”
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Tablets may be ok for people suffering from carpel tunnel syndrome, but for anyone else, I’d say a mouse would be the better option (it depends though…see below).

For example, try gaming with a tablet - have fun with that.

Do remember, though - it’s not so much a matter of “which mouse is better” or “which is better - a tablet or a mouse?”. It’s more of a style/preference thing, and it also comes down to what you will be using the input device for.

Ultimately, that’s what these things are - input devices. They translate your desires (your thoughts, etc.) into a language the computer can understand, and you want to buy something that can do that most efficiently while minimising the damage they cause to your body as much as possible (personally I get no problems from using my wrist to move my mouse, but like Leon, your experiences may be different).

Until we can hook something up to our brain and control a mouse pointer (heck, we probably won’t even need a mouse pointer then) by thought, you’ll still have to find an input device that suits you best. And this isn’t fantasy, they’ve actually done it, it’s just not as efficient and effective as it needs to be and it also requires you to have something mounted into your brain (unless they’ve made some other progress that I’m not aware of).

Anyway, hopefully Leon approves another comment that I wrote for this article which goes into much more detail then what I have done here. As soon as he realises that the links I’ve included *aren’t* spam, you’re likely to see it.

Bruce says on November 3rd, 2006 at 11:57 pm

If you want a decent mouse (as in one that isn’t rubbish like the vast majority that you’ll find in most computer stores, online retailers, or in pre-constructed computer “bundle” deals such as those you get from companies like Dell), I recommend either a Razor Diamondback (or the more recent Razer Copperhead… other Razer mice are ok too, but I haven’t used any of those) or a Logitech G5 (and yes, I would take the corded G5 over the cordless G7 – the G5 has an interchangeable weight system in addition to a better grip which make it superior to the G7…plus you really don’t want to have to recharge your mouse or change batteries).

The Razer mice are good if you want an ambidextrous design or if you want to move your mouse with your fingers (from my experience they don’t work so well if you use your wrist since they are too sensitive and you’ll begin to have pointer accuracy issues). The Logitech G5 is good if you want a right-handed-only mouse that you can use with both your fingers or your wrist while maintaining decent pointer accuracy.

Additionally, if for some reason you like holding a giant nugget (aka a Microsoft ambidextrous “ergonomic” mouse), DON’T buy a “regular” Microsoft mouse. Buy a Microsoft Habu, a mouse with the same shape as a Microsoft mouse but made with Razer components (Microsoft’s components are not very good). I have not personally used a Habu, but they essentially have the same components as a Razer Diamondback or Copperhead, just with a different shape.

If you want a performance mouse for your Apple Mac (I don’t know why you are using a Mac, but anyway), I’d go for something from the Razer Pro|Solutions series. I haven’t used one (since you should never go near anything to do with Apple), but it has similar components to the Razer Diamondback and Copperhead, and from my experience with Razer mice, you won’t be disappointed with a Pro|Solutions mouse.

Of course, all of these mice are top of the line, so be prepared to pay a little extra then the regular plastic, carpal tunnel-inducing pieces of garbage that seem to pass as mice. From my experience, to have the luxury of using a quality mice (and I own and have used quite a few of them), the price difference is well, well, WELL worth it (you may think “no way, they’re too expensive”, but you really won’t understand until you upgrade from a normal, piece-of-garbage mouse to a high quality “gaming grade” mouse – there’s a reason why professional gamers use the higher quality, more expensive mice when they have thousands of dollars in cash prizes on the line).

There may be some other good mice out there other then Razer and Logitech, but you’ll generally have a hard time finding them and I really don’t think they would be superior to the Razer or Logitech mice – at best, they’d be on equal ground, but would just have different features, a different shape, etc.

Overall, the best advice I can give if for you to buy a mouse that fits your own personal style and preferences. Having a performance mouse is good and all, but if you can’t use it comfortably with relative ease, the increased efficiency they provide will be wasted on you. Make sure that the shape, the features, the “bells and whistles”, etc. all fit your style and preference as that will ensure you get the most bang for buck when it comes to buying a performance mouse. DO NOT fall into the trap of looking for the “best” mouse – while some performance mice will have slightly better “stats” then others, for the most part they are fairly negligible, and if you compromise on your style and preference to buy a mouse with the “best stats” available on the market, you’ll find you are only cheating yourself and your new mouse will be about as useful to you as a regular plastic piece of garbage that you for next to nothing in retail stores.

How do you know what mouse fits your style and preference? Look at how you use and hold your mouse, or better yet, go out to a few stores and try out some of the mice I mentioned. If that is not possible, just go out and buy a performance mouse that looks good to you (preferably from a store that offers a money back guarantee), or that closely resembles the shape/style of your current mouse. If you feel it is wrong for you after you have bought it, either take it back (if money back guarantee or exchange is possible), or take it as a lesson learnt. I personally had to go through many expensive mice purchases to finally come across one that I feel is the best for me. Do I regret it? Not at all – I now know much more about what is available, what suits my particular style and preference, what doesn’t, and what particular types of mice offer compared to other mice.

Of course, you don’t have to believe me with any of this, but for your sake, please don’t think you know better until you have tried as many mice and mice surfaces as I have in a variety of different situations. If you do have a lot of experience with mice and think I’m speaking rubbish, then by all means, you make the decision for yourself – that’s what it’s really about in the end… what I’ve said here can only serve as guidance at best.

(For the record, I’m not affiliated with Razer, Logitech, Microsoft, or any of the companies or products mentioned here… I merely know what products are amoung the best available, and thought it would be useful to share this info with others since such comparative information that takes a variety of different mice into account is generally hard to come by from what I have found.)

Here are some links of interest if you want to check out the mice I mentioned in my comment:

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Razer
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Razer Product Range (side menu to the right of the screen):

http://www.razerzone.com/Produ.....ing-Mouse/

Razer Diamondback (the predecessor of the Copperhead that’s still functional and still holds its own against the newer models):

http://www.razerzone.com/Produ.....ing-Mouse/

Razer Copperhead (the most recent general purpose Razer mouse and):

http://www.razerzone.com/Produ.....ing-Mouse/

Razer Habu (Microsoft shape with Razer components – made in collaboration with Microsoft):

http://www.razerzone.com/Produ.....ing-Mouse/

Razer Pro|Solutions Click V1.6 (for Apple Mac users):

http://www.razerpro.com//index.....;Itemid=45

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Logitech:
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Logitech G5 (corded, right-handed shape with interchangeable weights and a really good grip):

http://www.logitech.com/index......NTID=10715

Logitech G7 (cordless, right-handed shape with a battery instead of the G5 weights and a more ‘plastic’ type grip – not as good as a G5 in my opinion, but your mileage may vary):

http://www.logitech.com/index......NTID=10716

barefootwriter says on November 4th, 2006 at 9:44 pm

If you’re having trouble with your wrists, hands, and arms, you should also look into the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, by Clair Davies. Trigger points are little knots that form in muscles from overuse, etc. While sometimes the pain is local to the point, it usually is referred to a different part of the body. You can get trigger point therapy from a massage therapist who specializes in it, but with a little practice and the aforementioned book, you can also work them out yourself.

TS says on December 14th, 2006 at 3:55 pm

I’m using a tablet almost all the time for several years now. The trick is (apart from graphic stuff, where it reduces precision) to use the tablet in relative mode (also known as „Mouse mode” and set a high mouse acceleration value: now you can reach the whole screen by just bending your fingers a little bit! And unlike a mouse, you can even type on the keyboard without releasing and regrabbing your pointing device for it.
I’ve also played strategy games with a tablet, other games won’t work that well with it, though.