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Ask HN: Best Mouse for Avoiding RSI

5 points by djohnston ↗ HN
Over the past few weeks I noticed that my hands, usually my knuckles, were beginning to be sore at the end of the day. It got quite bad after a week or so, and I ditched the macbook trackpad/keyboard and replaced with a microsoft sculpt keyboard and a generic logitech mouse.

The keyboard has definitely helped, but my mouse hand is still a little sore, particularly in the trigger finger. What style of mouse do you find effective for avoiding this kind of stress? I looked at eye-tracking software as an alternative to a mouse, but it seems surprisingly immature and unsupported on OSX.

10 comments

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EnderMB
What seems to work for me is alternating between a mouse and a trackball when at home, or when my hands start to ache.

It doesn't happen much any more, but I tend to use a trackball at home and a mouse at work, and my wrists feel fine. When they don't, I can use a trackball at work, or a mouse at home.

zeroego
I use a generic yet ambidextrous logitech wireless mouse. Other than making sure I have proper forearm/wrist position, one thing that I did that made a big difference is I started using the mouse with my left hand. Giving my right hand/wrist time to rest for weeks at a time has been very beneficial. I get far fewer cramps and much less tightness now. It definitely took some time to get used to it, but using my left hand started to feel comfortable way faster than I thought it would. Might be worth a shot!
kleer001
Have you considered a wacom-type pad?

I swear by them.

sloaken
I use a trackball, but I also switched hands I was using to give my right hand a rest. I flipped the buttons. So no one but me will use my machine ... what a nice bonus!
abledon
Gym membership or home dumbbell training