Wrist pain.
We tend to experience it after sleeping in an awkward position or after a particularly aggressive game of Frisbee. For others, though, it can be something much more worrisome. For those of us working at a computer all day, constantly clicking the mouse and forcing our wrists into awkward postures to get through the day, wrist pain can signal the beginning of an office worker’s worst nightmare. I’m talking about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Known as a Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), carpal tunnel syndrome is a median nerve compression, which is a condition that causes numbness, tingling, or weakness in your hand.
It happens due to pressure on your median nerve, which runs the length of your arm, goes through a passage in your wrist called the carpal tunnel, and ends in your hand. For those of us working at a computer all day, it can easily happen. Those of us that use an old-school mouse every day are even more prone to catching it.
Look at your hand on the mouse at this exact moment. Is it palm-down with the part of your wrist directly under your palm resting on the desk? The answer is most likely yes, which means you are putting yourself at risk for developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Do not panic. CTS can take time to develop, and if treated early, it can be fixed before surgery is needed.
Learn more about repetitive strain injuries, in our large guide here.
What are the Symptoms?
Some early-stage symptoms of CTS should alert office workers that now might be the time to make workstation changes:
- Burning, tingling, itching, or numbness in your palm and thumb or your index and middle fingers
- Weakness in your hand and/or trouble holding things
- A “shock” like feeling that moves through your hands into your fingers.
- The tingling sensation that creeps up your arm
At this point, I think we can all agree that NONE of these symptoms sounds enjoyable. Let us look at what causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and how you can avoid it!
What causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
There are a few distinct factors that can contribute to Carpal tunnel Syndrome. All of which can be avoided just by reevaluating the way we work!
- Putting pressure on your Carpal Tunnel by having pressure on the bottom of your wrist.
- Repetitive motions with no posture variation, like using a traditionally designed mouse 8 hours a day, 5-days a week.
- Awkward postures, pivoting on the wrist and actively gripping. Which, if you haven’t guessed by now, is a by-product of using a traditional mouse!
The good news is that all of these are easily avoidable if we make sure to give ourselves periodic breaks, stretch during the day, and by using an ergonomically designed mouse.
The Contour Difference
When we started in 1995, our ultimate goal was to create mouse designs that prevented people from getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Also, to get people with CTS to get back to work and not experience pain.
RollerMouse
Designed to put users in a “neutral” posture, each RollerMouse model gives users a ton of posture variation, such as operating it ambidextrous and using various fingers to control the mouse. RollerMouse encourages users to control the cursor with their whole arm, eliminating pressing the wrist against the desk and pivoting, the main contributor to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Unimouse
Adjustability is the name of the game for Unimouse. Users can adjust the body angle of the mouse anywhere from 35°-70°. Even at its lowest angle, it stops you from resting your wrist flat on the desk, keeping the Carpal Tunnel open to work. The body position also encourages users to use their whole arm to control the mouse, eliminating the pivoting and twisting that contributes to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Add completely adjustable thumb support designed to be the perfect fit for your hand that allows you to substantially decrease the amount of grip force needed to hold the mouse, and now you’re cooking with gas!
Read more about our products - and how they can help you prevent or reduce pains and discomforts caused by working with a computer mouse.
