Try hovering your mouse over this title, then double click so it’s highlighted. Pretty simple task, right?
Right — except for the fact that you’re doing it all wrong.
Okay, maybe you’re not… We can’t exactly see you, but chances are that if you’ve never really thought about how to use your mouse, you’re not using it correctly.
“Yeah, uh, but why should I care?”
We can only answer that with another question: how does “carpal tunnel syndrome” sound to you? Or how about “long-term damage to your wrists, joints, hands, shoulders and neck”? Or maybe it’s a good bout of tennis elbow you’re after?
These are all nice little gifts you can expect to enjoy if you keep up the poor mousing habits. It all comes down to these key factors.
1. Pronation and Splay
When most of us use computer mice, we turn our fingers far to the left or right, while keeping our wrists fixed, leading to an awkward position for both our hands and our wrists. In the long term, this causes excessive strain on the wrist’s carpal tunnel, which can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
With our mouse sizing guide, you’ll measure your hand, enter that number into our generator, and we’ll find the perfect mouse for you!
Shop Ergonomic Mice
2. Connected Tissues and Nerves
Wouldn’t it be nice if pain in your wrist just stayed there? Unfortunately, due to the way our muscles and nerves are all hooked up, your awkward mousing position also puts strain on your elbow, shoulder, and neck, which in turn can lead to tennis elbow and other kinds of strains.
3. Over-Clicking With Fingertips
Ideally, any clicks you make will be made with the part of your finger that’s just below the pad. Not doing this, as well as clicking with too much intensity and pressure, can lead to pain in your finger, and again can radiate throughout your upper body.
“Okay, I get the point. What can I do about it?”
There’s lots you can do, actually!
1. Get Your Sizing Right
You’re pretty much guaranteed to run into problems if your mouse isn’t the right size for you. This isn’t a problem for most people, but can be a big issue for people with small or large hands.
We’ve created a sizing guide just for you! Just measure your hand using the guide’s handy (pun intended) instructions, enter your measurements into the generator, and we’ll find a mouse match for you made in ergonomic heaven.
Find out what your best computer mouse is here.
2. Get Your Position Right — And Your Behavior, Too
Your days of laying your hand over mouse wherever you feel like and mousing from there are over. Instead, take the following steps:
- Put your palm at the base of the mouse, but off of the surface of the desk. You want to avoid scraping your wrist across the desk, and mousing from the wrong angle.
- Watch where your fingers fall. With your palm in this position, your fingers should reach almost to the edge of your mouse or just beyond.
- Move your whole forearm, not your hand. Moving just your hand and only your hand will strain your wrist. Instead, draw on your whole forearm to move the mouse so that you’re engaging more muscles in the task, rather than relying on an overstrained few.
- Click with care. Use the part of your finger that’s just below the tip, and make sure not to press with too much enthusiasm. A light click will do.
How do you know if your mousing style is off-base? Here’s a hint: if your hand looks like a claw desperately hanging on to the only tree branch that’s separating you from a hundred foot fall into piranha-filled white rapids, then you’re probably not in the ideal position.
The Goldtouch Difference
Check out these mice and follow these tips and pretty soon you’ll be taking home all of the world’s most impressive mousing awards!We also offer other excellent mice from our partners, like the Rockstick Mouse and the ever popular Evoluent Mouse. These are both vertical mice, which rotate your hand so that you’re mousing in a handshake position. This way, you won’t even have to think about how you’re planting the base of your palm.
