From: S1.SRE@isumvs.iastate.edu (Sree)
Subject: repeat motion injury comments
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 18:52:48 GMT


Recently I made the following posting regarding repeat motion
injury.  A number of you have commented on it over the newsgroup or
in correspondence with me.  I have compiled these for your use.

The text of original message:

>The following is a request for comments from all users of mouse,
>irrespective of what system they use.

>Have you experienced any pain in your hand, especially at the base
>of the thumb and forefinger?  Does this pain extend to the wrist and
>forearm?  Do you experience the pain after prolonged use or even
>after shorter use?

>Recently I was diagnosed with the repeated motion injury.  While
>discussing with my former student, who is now an MIS professional at
>a major firm, we came to the conclusion that use of the mouse is
>more problematic than the use of a keyboard.  In using the mouse you
>exert pressure on the button and if you were to drag to make a
>selection or move the selection then in addition to exerting
>pressure on the index finger you are also exerting pressure on the
>thumb and other areas of the hand.  Depending upon the length of
>continuous exertion, the hand and the fingers are kept under tension
>in an unnatural mode.

>If you agree with this explanation or have pain due to the use of
>standard mouse (one, two, or three button) then it may be worthwhile
>to campaign with the makers of these devices to design a mouse that
>is more anthropometric.  One that conforms to the shape of a closed
>hand (hand that could close around an object) may be more ideal.

Comments from readers:


Item: comp.human-factors 2895,  25 Sep 92,  17 lines.    (13 items left)
From: ceh@goshawk.cadre.com (Celia E. Humphreys)
Subject: Re: repeated motion injury

I have experienced pain with both mouse and tracker ball. I have had pain in both
my hand and arm. In the case of the arm pain, I have been diagnosed as having
tendonitis that is work related. As far as the hand pain, it has become severe
enough that I have switched to using the mouse with my left hand. I have experienced
the hand pain with mouse devices from 3 different manufacturers. The tracker ball
seemed to affect the tendonitis more than the mouse.

I have a little discomfort from using the keyboard, but I can alleviate this
pretty much with an adjustable arm rest.

Since I'm a technical writer, I spend a great deal of time using both keyboard
and mouse or tracker ball.
Item: comp.human-factors 2902,  Mon, 28 S,  24 lines.    (6 items left)
From: weisee@aix.rpi.edu (Elizabeth A. Weise)
Subject: Re: repeated motion injury

I just spent a week with my wrist immobilized due to tendon damage
from overuse.  Most of the problem comes from using the mouse.  I
have two different kinds and I find the Microsoft mouse much easier
to use than the DEC mouse.  The DEC mouse requires more effort
when clicking than the MS mouse.

My wrist is still sore and I can't type for any extended period
of time.  I've been told I shouldn't type at all...but that isn't
practical for a PhD student researching multimedia interfaces.
Instead, I limit my typing to half hour stretches with a 15 to
20 minute break.  Things take longer to get done, but it
saves my wrist.

Beth
--
****************************************************************************
Beth Weise / PhD Student / Dept. of Language, Literature, & Communication
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute / Troy, New York
Weisee@rpi.edu / Beth_Weise@mts.rpi.edu
______________________________________

Item: comp.human-factors 2907,  Mon, 28 S,  37 lines.    (1 items left)
From: mguyott@eriador.prime.com (M. Guyott)
Subject: Re: repeated motion injury


For the first 8 years of my professional career I had no problems.  About
18 months ago I started using a cheap "clone" mouse that came with an
"Altec" clone PC.  After about six months I began experiencing pain in the
first finger joint away from the knuckle in both my index finger and my
middle finger.  The pain was so bad that I started using my left hand.  I
have since gotten a Microsoft mouse and have had no pain in my left hand.
However, I can no longer use a mouse with my right hand without pain in
the two finger joints I have mentioned.  The pain only occurs when I press
one of the mouse buttons.  I believe I developed the problem because the
cheap mouse I was using had a very sharp "click" when you depressed the
button.  The experience has taught me to be very selective with the brands
of mice I use.

I have never had any trouble with Logitech Mice, Microsoft Mice, or Logitech
Trackmen.

Marc
----
Two of the worst things we teach our children are that a knowledge of science
is nice but not necessary, and a knowledge of sex is necessary but not nice.

Marc Guyott              Constellation Software, Inc.          (508) 620-2800
                         Framingham, Mass. 01701 USA                Ext. 3135
mguyott@primerd.prime.com       ...!{uunet, decwrl}!primerd.prime.com!mguyott
mguyott@eriador.prime.com       ...!{uunet, decwrl}!eriador.prime.com!mguyott

____________________________________________

[2874]  MON 09/28/92 21:02 FROM STEVE@FULCRUM.OZ.AU "Steve Taylor": Re:
        repeated motion injury; 29 LINES

Date: Tue, 29 Sep 92 12:00:29 EST
From: steve@fulcrum.oz.au (Steve Taylor)
To: S1.SRE@isumvs.iastate.edu
Subject: Re: repeated motion injury
Newsgroups: comp.human-factors

In comp.human-factors you write:

>The following is a request for comments from all users of mouse,
>irrespective of what system they use.

Yes, I have experienced discomfort from prolonged mouse use. I have NOT
experienced discomfort from using a graphics tablet (with a pen shaped stylus).
You may be able to help your problems if you switch to something like the
Microsoft Pen Mouse, which is a stylus shaped mouse. I haven't used one, but
I imagine from my experience with graphic tablet styluses that it might
help you.


                                                Steve Taylor
                                                steve@fulcrum.oz.au

_______________________________

Item: comp.human-factors 2910,  Mon, 28 S,  56 lines.    (4 items left)
From: soh@tmp_ip_003.trl.OZ.AU (Soh Kam Hung)
Subject: Re: repeated motion injury


I haven't had any trouble with the mouse(s?) on either my Amiga 1000,
Amiga 3000 or SparcStation.  I prefer the ``pregnant'' mouse
on my A3000 since I can close my palm over it.  The mouse for the
SparcStation is rather flat, but it has long buttons which I can press
without bending my fingers too much.  The A1000 mouse had a high back
and responsive microswitches that did not require much pressure to
activate.

I have an ache in my shoulder and neck if I use any mouse too often, so
I have set up my computer user interface to avoid using the mouse.  For
example, to scroll between virtual windows on my SparcStation, I use
the cursor keys, and I use ``hotkeys'' to shuffle windows back and
forward.  The only time I need a mouse is to move a window, pop-up a
menu or (OUCH!) use a dialogue box.  Drawing with a mouse is next to
impossible since I am left handed and most keyboards are not
symmetric.  I prefer to sketch on paper and trace or scan my pictures.

My opinion?  Avoid using a mouse if you can!

Regards,

---
Soh Kam Hung, Network Management Research,     | h.soh@trl.oz.au
TRL, POB 249 Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia | +61 3 253 6638

_____________________________________

Date: Tue, 29 Sep 92 12:31:33 PDT
From: raveling@kestrel.Unify.Com (Paul Raveling)
Message-Id: <9209291931.AA08613@kestrel.Unify.Com>
To: S1.SRE@isumvs.iastate.edu (Sree)
Subject: Re: repeated motion injury


        I'm skeptical of the mouse as a likely cause.  Speaking only for
        myself (others may differ), I normally grasp the mouse between
        thumb and little finger and keep a very relaxed grip on it.
        If mouse motion were a causal factor I'd expect it to show up
        in or near the little finger first, since it's MUCH weaker than
        the thumb. I put much more finger-power into typing than mousing
        because typing calls for faster finger motion.

        Don't neglect the possibility of crossover among different
        activities in repetitive motion injuries.  Example:  I sometimes
        get tingling at the tip of my left thumb, which is the one
        I've been using most of the time on the space bar.  However,
        the tingling doesn't appear until I spend some time working
        on back-yard landscaping with a shovel and/or a pick; it seems
        that typing preconditions this situation but what brings it on
        is pressure on the part of the hand you mention.  The tingling
        vanishes over a day or two without shoveling, even when I type
        & mouse around heavily all day.

        Although I never get an unusual sensation there, my guess is
        that there's a nerve in that area that might be vulnerable
        to pressure, with results probably being highly variable as
        a function of individual muscle & bone (and tendon?) anatomy.
        Are there any neurologists tuned in who could comment?


------------------
Paul Raveling
Raveling@Unify.com

________________________________________________

Item: comp.human-factors 2930,  Thu, 1 Oc,  33 lines.    (5 items left)
From: ceb@dbrus.Unify.Com (Caroline E. Bryan)
Subject: Re: repeated motion injury


After reading a number of responses to this, I ask:

Have any of the people experiencing pain taken several years of piano or other
finger/arm-intensive music lessons?

I've been in the business 20 years and have never had hand or arm pain; but I
also took piano lessons for 6 years when I was a child.  (Yes, it seemed a lot
longer.)  I've noticed that the most common cause of carpal-tunnel syndrome,
typing while resting the wrists on the edge of the desk or keyboard, is some-
thing I never do because about the first thing you learn in piano lessons is
to keep your wrists up.  In addition, one responder mentioned a mouse with
what in the piano world is called a "stiff action" (the button goes down with
a sharp click that requires a relatively hard push), hence my curiosity as to
whether early muscle training via music lessons might prevent keyboard- or
mouse-related pain later on.


Carrie          ceb@rechenau.unify.com  x6244
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|"To every hard problem, there's a simple solution, and it's wrong." - Turski |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
--
Sree Nilakanta                  |  Imagination is more
Iowa State University           |  more important than
Ames, IA 50011 USA              |  knowledge
s1.sre@isumvs.iastate.edu       |      Albert Einstein
Newsgroups: comp.human-factors