What mouse prevents RSI

Has anyone had experience using a "Quill Mouse" for CAD work?

The standard horizontal type rodent is giving us CAD operators RSI. The
"Quill" is vertically orientated, cradles the hand in the upright
position and has been developed for RSI sufferers. My concern is will
operators find it strange and perplexing adopting from a horizontal
input to a vertical input.

I've read reams of paperwork about correct posture, swapping hands
and the need to take regular breaks etc but to me the fundamental
problem is the number of clicks using the index finger us CAD users
have to do to get the work done.

What mouse do other CAD jockeys use to prevent RSI?

Eddy

(Posted to several CAD forums)

 

I use the Logitech MX Laser mouse (wireless). For me the advantages are:
- wireless, so no cable attached to drag with
- Laser: no need for a mousepad, so you can re-position your hand where-ever
you want on your desk. So you don't have the same sitting position the whole
day.
- Extra thumb buttons on the mouse. (I have there ESC, Enter and Ctr-Tab).

Wim

 

I use a Logitech trackman wheel for the right hand (roller ball for the
thumb) and a standard 3 button wheel mouse on the left, with lots of
keyboard shortcuts. I bought a razer gaming mouse off Woot last week
and plan to use that on the left side. It's supposed to be more
accurate than the current mouse and has some programmable buttons.
We'll see how that goes.

Between work, weight lifting, guitar and trumpet playing and yard work
my hands take a pounding. Sometimes a little ibuprofen helps too.

Diego

 

If you want to prevent RSI, you CANNOT buy any piece of equipment that will
help prevent it. What you need to do is reduce the amount of motion you
have to do. For example, if it is your wrist that has the most problem, try
increasing the sensitivity of your mouse so that you barely have to move the
mouse to cross the screen. Something that may also help is to have an
ergonomist take a look at your desk setup. You say that you have read
everything possible about ergonomics for your work area, but that only let
you know what needs to be done. What you need to have done is to have
somebody verify that your shoulders are relaxed, your elbows at your sides
and at forming a right angle, and that your wrists are as close to straight
as possible.

I did a Master's Thesis where I looked at wrist position and force exerted
by a finger. What was found was that if your wrist is in a neutral
position, and you are exerting a small force, you shouldn't have any
problems with your carpal tunnel. However, if you are having problems, I
suggest that you look at how you are sitting.

 

I have tried the Quill mouse and i felt that it was too light and small
for my hand. my hand measures 8" from bottom of palm to top of middle
finger. this was awkward as it caused my fingers to bend at odd angles
to hit the mouse buttons. also seemed a little cheep feeling. we use
many input devices. check out site www.sforh.com. this is a ergonomic
sales location. we have many using a vertical mouse, i use a logitech
trackball with a Kinesis Evolution keyboard (cut in half keyboard and
no longer available from this site). arm supports work great for
ergonomic problems also. the site that i reference here did let me
come in and try a few of the different types so i could see which one
that i liked best. they also rented the equipment to try it out. this
one is in California, but i am sure that there are other distributors
near where you are. iQ

 

f it is your wrist that has the most problem, try increasing the sensitivity of your mouse so that you barely have to move the mouse to cross the screen.<<<

This HELPS A LOT! I have my mouse set on a high level of sensitivity
for years. I try to get others to do it to, but everyone thinks I'm
eccentric. But people who prefer to drag their mouse over long
distances and repositioning it all the time are in my mind the
eccentric ones. It's crazy and harmful.

Another thing that helps is using the left hand for keyboard
keystroking and the right hand for mouse work. Assign shortcuts to the
commands you use 80% of the time. For best results, most of these
shortcuts should be centered around the left hand home keys. Of
course, some shortcut key assignments wouldn't make sense (like
assigning the letter "F" to Sketch Line instead of "L"), so there is
some level of practically that supercedes the home row part of this
rule.

Having shortcuts for the commands you use most often will help reduce
mouse work by a lot! This is because you won't be dragging your mouse
all over the screen to click this toolbar icon or that pulldown menu
function. This also helps improve efficiency and can speed up your
overall CAD work.

Oh, and I do use the Logitech MX 700 mouse too! Love it.

Matt

 

Somthing that helped me quite a bit was desk arrangement. I use a standard
mouse, but the keyboard and screen are arranged such that my entire forearm,
including the elbow, is resting on the desk surface when using the mouse.
Your seated posture enters into this as well.
It made a significant improvement for me. It may not help for others, but
worth a try.
Bill

 

Never tried the Quill, but it is a small price to pay to try something
new and learn.

Myself, I wound up with wrist pains 20 years ago. In the end, only a
more comfortable smaller mouse helped a bit.

What really seemed to help the most was excersize on the bicycle,
rowing and tennis. Anything that excersized the hands and arm in
different ways on somewhat of a regular basis spelled the end of pains
since that time for me.

Some people are willing to do those extra excercises and some just
complain.

Bo

 

Bill, I do that too. I've put my computer on a table next to my desk,
pushed the monitor and keyboard back and now the fore-arms lay on the
table while working. That, the right side roller ball, left hand mouse
and lots of keyboard shortcuts helps.

Diego

 

I do the eact opposite! and my aches and poains went away. I use my
mouse right on the edge of the table. I suppose the red led is 120mm
from the edge. I have my hand jamed up against the edge of the table
, about 1 cm onto the palm , above the wrist. There seems to be a
natural crease there and the edge of the table rests in this crease.
Means my arm and wrist don't move and my fingers do all the
controlling of the mouse.

Different strokes for different folks I suppose.


Jonathan

 

Check out the Evolution Mouse Trak by ITAC. It is a track ball with 6
buttons. It is better suited to larger hands. It uses a different set
of muscles in the hand than a regular mouse. Motion is limited to the
fingers keeping the wrist stationary. I have experience some fatigue,
but I have had no wrist issues since using this device.

 

Interesting about the bigger mouse. What I have found has helped me the
most, like I stated earlier, is to increase the mouse sensitivity. With the
sensitivity increased I found that I needed better control of the mouse, and
that forced me to change the way I hold the mouse. I hold the mouse between
my thumb and pinky fingers and use those fingers to push the mouse around,
with very little movement from my wrist. In other words, little physical
movement turns into big computer pointer movement.

Remember, when looking into why you ache at the end of a work day that there
are 3 components can cause those aches. Look at you Posture, Force, and
Repetitions. Since a mouse does not require much force, look closely at
your Posture, then look at the repetitions.