Is Your Mouse In The Right Position? A Guide To Improving Your Ergonomics
One of the most common mistakes I see when conducting workplace ergonomic risk assessments is the incorrect mouse position. The blow left image is a common observation of many office workers.
The issue with adopting a mouse position like the image on the left is that the worker is often required to stretch their arm out. The other common observation that I typically see is one where the elbow is winging out from the side of the body rather than sitting in adjacent to the trunk. Mouse positions that have ones arm and hand outstretched and abducted often increase the tension in the workers shoulders. The most common symptom they have is tension in the shoulder and it is very common to palpate a knot in the shoulder.
Tips To Improving Your Position
- Try and keep the mouse adjacent to the keyboard (hopefully 10-20cm from the edge of the desk)
- For those that have a wandering mouse, use a mouse pad and stick this to the desk so that you are more inclined to keep the mouse on the pad.
- For those of you who have standard keyboard with the numericals on the right side, try using the mouse on the left side. The design of the keyboard with numericals makes it challenging to keep the elbow close to the body. Use of the mouse on the left side is much easier.
- When using the standard mouse on the left side, be sure to switch the buttons over.
This blog post was written by Osteopath Heath Williams who is owner and director of Principle Four Osteopathy and Corporate Work Health Australia.
Principle Four Osteopathy is one of Melbourne City CBD leading Osteopathy clinics. At the clinic we treat a wide range of clients, ranging from the office worker, exercise enthusiast to athlete. We have 3 experienced osteopaths working across both of the clinics.
The Melbourne City CBD clinic is located at 29 Somerset Place (basement), close to the corner of Elizabeth St and Little Bourke in the Melbourne City CBD. Our premises adjoin the Jon Weller Personal Training Studio, a fully-equipped training space which allows clients to combine their osteopathy treatment with exercise tutorials or specific training programs and rehabilitation.
The Docklands clinic is located at 717 Bourke St (Ground Floor), beneath the Channel 9 building near the walkway from Southern Cross Train Station to Etihad Stadium. Our premises adjoin Pilates on Bourke, a fully-equipped pilates and yoga training space which allows clients to combine their osteopathy treatment with exercise tutorials, pilates or specific training programs and rehabilitation.
To speak to an Osteopath or book an appointment at Principle Four Osteopathy, please book online or call 03 9670 9290.