Mice and ergonomics

Has anyone here had to switch to a pen mouse and/or graphic tablet due to ergonomic reasons? If yes, was the change successful in terms of functionality, ease of use as well as ergonomics? Would you recommend these to someone who is struggling with wrist pain?

I had wrist pain all thru college. When I started doing this for a real job, I got one of these, way back when they first became available. Been around 20 years now and no pain.

I use a tablet and pen now for drawing (but not my job work.) It was a steep learning curve to get it to do what I wanted, and even now, quite often it will do something unintentional. Stray pen marks, a sudden eraser slash, a double tap somewhere you didn’t mean. Definitely get a protective cover for the tablet and extra nibs (usually comes with about a dozen.) Even with a smooth cover, my drawing style eats nibs.

Yep. As a gift, my wife gave me the sleeker version of that. Now I have 3 of them. No pain.
https://www.kensington.com/p/products/electronic-control-solutions/trackball-products/slimblade-trackball/

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Is the clicking sound quieter on the sleeker version than the one PrintDriver posted. I have that one, but it’s like a mechanical contraption from the 1980s that makes an annoying loud click when the button is depressed.

I ended up getting bicep tendonitis as a result of using a mouse. The constant tension on the tendon eventually injured it. It took a good year to heal up, and that was only after the doctor suggested that I move the mouse to the other side of the keyboard, which meant that I could rest my arm on the table while using it. It looks award, but I’ve gotten used to it.

Yes. It’s been a long time since I had any true reference to make a comparison, and this one does still make a fairly audible click, but I vaguely remember thinking it’s about half as harsh.

My newest one still clicks pretty loud. I didn’t notice it until you said something. :rage:

Sorry to bring it to your attention.

One of the main reasons I stopped using my Kensington trackball was because of that noise. It’s not a soothing, muffled and largely invisible background sound like that of a keyboard, and it’s not all that much louder than a regular mouse. Instead, it’s mostly just an ugly mechanical click with no aesthetic nuances, which just irks me enough that I don’t like using it.

I just retrieved my trackball from a drawer where I’d stashed it away. I’m using it right now and, yeah, it just lack acoustic polish. Back in the drawer it goes.

I’ve been using the track ball for a long time, and along with the wrist support it helps avoid a lot of wrist pain. I find it easier to use than a mouse, but maybe I’m just used to it.

And…one of the advantages of moderate hearing loss is not having to hear annoying clicks anymore.

Thanks for replying y’all. Seems there’s a consensus on the trackball. I’m going to look into getting one for myself.

Do you mean move the mouse from the right of the keyboard to the left (or the other way round if you’re a lefty) or something else?

Yes. :smile:

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