Ergonomic mice

pineapple

As I have carpal tunnel syndrome and my hand tends to go numb after even short periods with a computer mouse, I have been looking at so called ergonomic mice - especially the 'vertical' ones. The downside is the cost. Just wondering if anyone has used these things and what their experience was?

cyberbob

I've not used them but I have carpal tunnel and use a trackball. The one I use is HERE. Quite expensive but it works for me. There are a lot of cheaper ones around so if your thinking of it I would try that first

MX5huggy

At work (the DWP) they give people vertical mice for this, but have you considered graphics tablet if holding a pen is not a problem for you.

pineapple

Thanks both. I am not sure the trackball will help as I need to alter completely the way I hold the mouse. I will look at the vertical ones. The problem is, I haven't see these in the high st electrical stores and I would have liked to see one first.
The pen is indeed another option. Hadn't thought of that!

jmc160

I don't know if I'll be particularly useful here, as my issue doesn't come from carpal tunnel, but...

I've had problems with my hands since a motorbike accident in 2003. I had a trackball for a while but it didn't really help me, in fact it made it worse. This was the one I had.

When I switched careers and got a job in IT, I was spending a lot more time in front of a computer and my hands got worse, so I grabbed a Microsoft Ergonomic Desktop 7000 from the store room to give it a try. I liked it so much, I bought the same set for my home computer. I got my personal one for about £25 from ebay. It takes some getting used to, as I had to completely change my method of typing (I was a one finger, tongue sticking out typer) and the mouse felt huge to start with, but it has really helped me.

I've also issued a couple of these to those that needed them.

The main thing to remember with any you look at, especially when you're trying them out, is it willl feel weird to start with and you may not like it, but you should give it a couple of weeks of use before making your decision so you can get used to the different positioning and feel.