Complaints eased once keyboard extenders placed the mouse closer to the space bar. Unconscious habits also can make matters worse. People tend to squeeze a mouse harder when trying to aim it precisely, notes Chris Plott, senior ergonomist at U S West. Long stints of button-pressing can stress the forearm. And try several models to see what feels right.
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Many disabled mousers tap a variety of technologies. For cheap ergonomic efficacy, nothing beats a good coffee break. Such programs as Screen Play and PowerPause pop onto the screen to enforce timeouts at programmable intervals. Harvard graduate student Joshua Goodman, an RSI sufferer, prefers an egg timer. And that's no java.