Many patients commonly say they suffer from "mouse pain" or "mouse hand". While those are not actual medical terms, they're descriptive of the problem. They mean when using a computer mouse, pain and other symptoms intensify in the fingers, hand or wrist. 

Actually, the problem is a lot more widespread than you might think. And it's no wonder why the National Institutes of Health says that jobs like secretaries and clerical personnel are at high risk for getting carpal tunnel syndrome.

So what's happening? And more importantly, what can be done to eliminate such pain?

• Think you have carpal tunnel? Complimentary self-test
• Already know you have carpal tunnel?  Determine its severity

Having pain when using a mouse DOES NOT necessarily mean you have carpal tunnel syndrome. It could also mean you have simple hand muscle fatigue or even tendonitis.

In fact, most people performing stressful hand activities usually experience pain due to muscle fatigue. But it's important to know that carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle fatigue, and tendonitis are separate and distinct disorders. Hand muscle fatigue and tendonitis are simpler disorders. In contrast, carpal tunnel syndrome is more complicated and much harder to treat.

Carpal tunnel is a progressive neurological condition that affects at least five million Americans. It occurs as a result of stressing and straining the fingers and hand -- yes, like using the mouse a lot.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs because the flexor tendons inside your wrist joint swell. As the tendons swell, they push against  the median nerve and crush it. The median nerve is one of the main nerves in the hand. And it reacts badly to being crushed. That crushing is what causes all of the unpleasant sensations you get with carpal tunnel syndrome. 

You might feel the following symptoms in your hand (palm side) and fingers (especially the thumb, but never the pinky):

• Pain (mild or punishing; intermittent or constant)
• Numbness (usually in the fingertips)
• Burning
• Swollen feeling (even though the skin looks normal)
• Tingling (or pins-and-needles)
• Shooting electric shocks
• Weakness of the grip
• Clumsiness
• Symptoms are usually worse when your hand is at rest (like sleeping)

You might feel any of the following if you have simple hand muscle fatigue:

• Pain (usually soreness) occurs with movement; then it stops while at rest
• Hand weakness
• Numbness, tingling, and clumsiness can occur, but are less common
• Muscle cramps
• Muscle twitching or trembling
• Pain is usually localized
• Difficulty with fine finger movements
  

Tendonitis of the hand and fingers is a common disorder affecting the flexor and extensor tendons. These are the tendons responsible for closing and opening your fingers, respectively.

As with carpal tunnel syndrome, overworked and stressed tendons can become inflamed. And it's this inflammation which causes most or the symptoms.

Tendonitis is particularly noticeable when gripping or grasping, making a fist, or turning your wrist. The following are signs of simple muscle fatigue:

• Persistent pain (usually soreness) occurs with movement; then it stops while at rest
• Localized swelling over the inflamed tendon
• Tenderness when pressure is applied to the area
• Stiffness and difficulty moving your fingers and hand
• Popping or creaking when moving your fingers and hand
  

It's a huge advantage if you can recognize you have a problem before it advances any further. That means you have a much better chance to eliminate the problem for good.



And it's even better to determine if you have either carpal tunnel, hand muscle fatigue, or tendonitis. This way, you can treat the condition properly. The discussion below focuses on what to do if you have pain and other symptoms when using your mouse.

• Learn if you have carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis here.
• Learn if you have hand muscle fatigue here.

Different computer tasks can affect the upper extremities in ways that are detrimental to your overall health. In particular, using an ordinary computer mouse (and keyboard) for long periods of time can be a recipe for biomechanical disorders.

If you already have pain, throw away that old mouse - and pain will also very likely go away. Then get an ergonomic computer mouse. This is an easy-to-use computer mouse specifically designed for those prone to having mouse pain.

The "vertical mouse" is a popular design because it feels more natural in the hand. The vertical mouse forces you to rotate your hand in a more natural position. This reduces stresses from the hand to the elbow.

A new version of the vertical mouse is the UllmanMouse. This is a pen-type grip to make fine movements easier.

But most of the pain from mousing is not how you hold your hand, but how you click. Clicking a mouse stresses flexor tendons tremendously. But one design reduces that stress.

The QuadraClicks RBT mouse is specifically designed to reduce clicking stress in the finger. By making clicking less stressful for flexor tendons, this mouse actually reduces fatigue and very likely prevents the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome. It's the only mouse designed specifically to lessen tendon stress, and I highly recommend it.

If you use a conventional computer mouse, make sure your fingers do not curl around the mouse in the same position for a long time. The simple act of hovering over the click button increases pressure inside the carpal tunnel space by two-fold. Therefore, avoiding such hovering can avoid serious problems down the line.

Next, pay close attention to the position of your fingers and hand - especially as they type on a keyboard. Make sure they're not overly bending or reaching for keys and buttons. There are various types of ergonomic keyboards which offer the best solution to this problem. The split keyboard is usually the best solution.

The combination of the following three measures are tremendously powerful in preventing hand pain due to carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle fatigue, and tendonitis:

• Good posture
• Frequent stretching exercises
• Night bracing

At the first sign of keyboard or mouse pain, incorporate the above measures into your life. You won't regret it one bit. Here are details about each measure.

Adjust your workstation’s chair, table, and monitor height so they feel comfortable. The monitor should be directly in front of your eyes. You should never bend your head down.

Be sure the keyboard and mouse are like extensions of your fingers that don’t require much movement. Be conscious of your most common posture and hand movements and be sure to keep those movements to a minimum.

While working on the keyboard and mouse, take frequent "mini-breaks" to stretch your finger and hand tendons. It’s best that for every 30 minutes of work, you do 30 seconds of finger stretches. I tell my patients this the '30-30 rule".  I've designed fast and effective stretching exercises for almost everybody.

• These 4 cores stretching exercises should be done every day

• Click here to see this short video on how to do these fast and effective stretching exercises.

For specific stretches, see these specialized exercises for:

• gamers
• hairdressers
• transcriptionists
• artists
• guitarists
• knitters
• dental hygienists

At the first sign of keyboard or mouse pain, you MUST start start nocturnal bracing. Any brace will be fine for muscle fatigue or tendonitis. But if you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you must wear a carpal tunnel brace at night. This is most crucial if you have more severe carpal tunnel symptoms.

But no matter how severe your symptoms are, you must nip the problem in the bud right now. Remember, muscle fatigue and tendonitis are relatively easy to treat. But carpal tunnel is more difficult - and more serious. That means if you have carpal tunnel, you have to focus on prevention and treatment. Otherwise, you can be certain you’ll be facing carpal tunnel release surgery later on. After surgery, your carpal tunnel surgery recovery time can be from  many months up to a year. So avoid this surgery and down-time at all costs.

Your keyboard and mouse pain may be due to simple muscle fatigue or tendonitis. But it can also be a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome. There are simple and reliable ways to treat the symptoms so they don't worsen.