It took about two years after Julia raved about her new 3M Ergonomic mouse that I finally listened and tried it. That’s two years of stiffness and pain in my shoulder that sadly, I probably could have avoided. As I get older, I am getting less resilient to injuries, and the worst of them all, is that sneaky, quiet ninja, “repetitive motion.”
The 3M Ergonomic mouse might be the best defense against the RM ninja. A conventional mouse requires the use of your finger to click buttons. Repeated use of my index finger, for example, would cause strain in my hand, wrist, forearm, all the way up to my shoulder. I think this is because the normal posture for using the mouse is to have your arm “hover” over the table. The entire arm is engaged to balance on this small device and it never fully relaxes even though it’s seems like only your finger is moving.
What’s cool about the 3M mouse is that your forearm rests on the table, shoulder relaxed, and your thumb does the clicking. This is the largest muscle in your hand so it’s easier and more natural for it to do the work. It’s a bit more expensive than a regular mouse but we think they make such a difference that we’ve purchased them for everyone to use in the studio.
For all of you graphic designers and clients who spend a lot of time on the computer, this is a cool item worth checking out.
