Avoid wrist and shoulder complaints with a vertical mouse Prolonged use of the mouse can lead to pain and discomfort in shoulders, forearms and hands (Chang et al., 2007; Andersen et al., 2008). A vertical mouse can partially counteract these effects and lead to greater comfort. A ‘normal’ or standard mouse causes an unfavourable hand, wrist and forearm posture. The body is put under extra strain in three ways by the use of a standard mouse.
Hand, wrist and forearm load A standard mouse causes an unfavorable hand, wrist and forearm posture. This is because the body is burdened in three ways by using a standard mouse: • Pronation: Turning the wrist in from the forearm • Wrist extension: Stretching the wrist • Ulnar and radial deviation: Bend sideways from the wrist
Pronation In the forearm one speaks of pronation when the palm is A
turned inwards from the neutral starting position. During this B
movement, the bones and attached muscles in the forearm cross each other, as shown in the picture. This often leads to a higher muscle tension. And it gives more room in the wrist joint.
Wrist extension The wrist is bent backwards due to the normal height of the mouse, this is also called wrist extension. In addition, the user has to lift the finger to click, which further increases the load in the entire wrist area.
Ulnar and radial deviation The most commonly used posture when using a standard mouse is the so-called ulnar deviation. This means that the hand is bent towards the little finger side, as illustrated below. In fact, in the lateral bend in the direction of the thumb side, the radial deviation, people have very limited flexibility. Due to this position, the wrist is little in the neutral position during the use of a normal mouse and this eventually causes overloading.
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