By Jennifer Outcelt
Obviously, I don’t actually drive a spaceship. If you thought I really did, then kudos to you for believing that I was capable of space travel and that I spent my life in constant cosmic adventure. In all Earth bound reality, what I mean when I say, “I drive a spaceship” is that I have a new, really cool, really spacy, ergonomic computer trackball mouse.
If you were to tell my 13 year old self that one day I’d be raving on the internet about a clicking device, I’d think I had turned out pretty lame (FACT: I’m not lame at all). What’s really lame is having that tell-tale pain creep down your wrist and into your finger making every click, drag, and drop feel like an Olympic weight lifting event. No, sir, not fun.
After feeling prolonged hand strain, I did a ton of research about Musculoskeletal Disorders and Repetitive Strain Injuries (MSDs and RSIs). I had no idea that MSDs and RSIs were so common or how debilitating they could become. I couldn’t lose my range of hand motion! What if I wanted to pilot a spaceship one day!? So, after more research on better ergonomic practices and products, I landed on my particular mouse as a solution. I’m not here to pimp the brand, but this mouse is amazing. I mean, seriously awesome! Now I am obsessed with my space controller of a mouse that made my hand pain like light in a black hole; nonexistent.
It took about a week to get used to operating my new mouse, and two weeks for the pain to disappear. Now I’m a pro and truly feel like I’m flying a galactic craft. All my coworkers are baffled by my alien mouse technology. I really do enjoy watching them fumble their way through using it to show me something on my computer. If only they knew its power to improve, then maybe they’d have one of their own.
Since this small change has made such a difference in my work comfort, I felt obligated to share with the good people of the internet some of what I learned. Below are some links to websites I read. I encourage you to seek out your own solutions to fix or prevent the inevitable pain that accompanies grueling 9 to 5 computer work. Maybe it’s a better chair? Maybe it’s an exercise? Or, maybe it’s operating your very own space ship…
Please see the below links for more information:
