Ruby Fruit Journal

I use the computer a lot, and sometimes I get cramps in the middle of my hand. I was thinking of getting an ergonomic mouse, but one that is not too deformed or strange. I was thinking of getting this one

http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Wired-Ergonomic-Styling-K72326US/dp/B0014IUVVK/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1261928602&sr=1-12

It says it has ergonomic styling. Do you think it will work?

It looks flatter than a typical mouse. But, I would think that after a while your hand will just start hurting again. Why not just try putting your mouse at a different level every once in a while. I just place a thin book under the mouse pad for a couple of days to change the height of the mouse. That way my hand & wrist are not stressed at the same points; it works for me.

i need a description of one maybe a few links on some information about them and what a ergonomic mouse consists of. any help will be appreictaied. Thanx. btw i need this for a presentation thats due tomorrow for computer science class i had 3 weeks to do it. haha oh well. *A good answer will be "getting best answer"

Ergonomic means it is designed to fit the user’s body.

http://www.gizoo.co.uk/Products/PcGaming/PcGadgets/ErgonomicMouse/Additional/lrg-2-ErgonomicUprightMouse.jpg

like that, its hand shaped

as opposed to the normal ones, which get uncomfy after a while because your hand is a different shape to them.
Points to think about would be left/right handedness and the way that mens hands are generally bigger (im a rather small lady, ergonomic mice are usually too clunky for me!)

Ergonomics are largely a matter of personal preference.

My dad gave me this mouse to use for my laptop, and it’s tiny, which I like a lot! It’s got the little tiny USB thing that you plug in. A few days ago I accidentally hit the connect button, and now it won’t work! Help!!

Remove the USB nano receiver, pop the battery out of the mouse if you can, re-insert the battery, wait a while (about a minute), re-insert the USB nano receiver, see if that helps.

An ergonomic mouse pad makes you hold your wrist in the proper position to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects people that make a lot of repetitive motions, such as happens when using the mouse.

Please state the model also!

I hate to be a name dropper but logitech!

I have tried to do the suggestions about taking out the batteries and take out the usb chip– and it didn’t make any difference. I tried to go through Fixya — but they wanted me to buy drivers to make it work. This is the third mouse I have had in the past 3 weeks. Can anyone tell me how to fix the problem? Thank you.

Deb Moore

I JUST had that same problem with my GE Wireless Optical Mini Mouse. I played with the batteries, in and out, noticed a little button on the bottom and pushed that and took the USB jack in and out of my laptop and it eventually worked in about 2 minutes!

I want to buy a Microsoft Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard and Mouse. What is the difference in the models?

There is the 4000, 5000, 6000, and 7000, Is the difference worth the increase in price?

The difference is keys that most people will never touch. Are you are a big keyboard fan and rather use a keyboard than a mouse whenever possible? Here is the Microsoft website which lists the features for each keyboard: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productlist.aspx?type=Keyboard&AdditionalType=Sets

Note that some of these are keyboard and mouse combos, not just keyboards.

You can try. The FSA administrator may want additional proof from your doctor.

Has anyone used the joystick-style 3M Ergonomic Mouse? I suffer from hand/wrist pain and am searching for a more comfortable mouse.

I’m sure it works for some people. However, there may be a variety of causes for your wrist pain and it’s not clear whether that particular mouse will address the particular problems you’re having.

The 3M mouse seems to allow you to use a mouse without pronating your forearm. "Pronation" is the term used to describe the rotation your forearm does when you rotate your hands so that the palms are parallel with the floor. Start by holding out one of your forearms as though you’re going to shake hands with your palm at a right angle to the floor, then rotate your palm so that it’s parallel to the floor. That’s pronation.

You might be interested to know that there are other devices that address this particular problem. There’s a company named Evoluent which makes a line of vertical mice. That might be another option for you.

If forearm pronation is related to your particular problems, that’s great. However, there are other possible causes. You may be overusing your mousing arm and switching hands or switching to a device like a trackball might be an effective solution. Another possibility is that your preferred mousing position might be causing the problem and a better solution might be to use a keyboard tray to bring your keybord and/or mouse into a more comfortable position.

For better or worse there really doesn’t seem to be any panacea for these sorts of problems and dealing with them just boils down to trial an error, trying a bunch of things and paying attention to your body and figuring out what works. If you’re in a position to get an ergonomic evaluation it can help, but even though they can help point you in the right direction there’s still a certain amount of experimentation required. So you may be able to do as just as well by simply reading up on RSI issues and doing a little experimentation.

I hope you find a solution that works for you.