As for the lower arm pain, that's often the result of gripping the mouse too tightly. Mouse in tensed hand, waiting to pounce. Imagine you're just standing in the middle of the room, just standing there. That's hard to say. A flood of studies is under way in places like the Ergonomic Technology Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center.
Early returns say there's a serious problem, and researchers are starting to understand why.
But there's no quantitative study to show how many mouse-related injuries there are. The only authoritative study was published in 1995 by Liberty Mutual Insurance. The study covered only worker's compensation filings connected to mouse use from 1988-1993. Those claims doubled each year during that period, but the numbers are pretty small. The report also noted that women report suffering from mouse-related injuries more than men.