Mouse pads with attached wrist supports can relieve discomfort, but can also contribute to repetitive stress injuries. Users should be aware of potential drawbacks and choose a pad that is not too large or soft, and allows for comfortable mouse movement. It’s important to take breaks if discomfort arises.
After hours of pointing and clicking, some users may start to experience discomfort in their wrists, hands or arms. In the long run this discomfort can even lead to repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Luckily a number of companies have come up with mouse pads with attached wrist supports to relieve tension and place your wrist in a more natural position. While often helpful, these types of pads can actually contribute to discomfort or even repetitive stress injury. It is up to the savvy consumer to know both the advantages and disadvantages of using mouse pads with built-in wrist supports.
While they come in many shapes, sizes, and materials, most mousepads with wrist pads have a similar design. Attached to the back of the pad is a soft raised support designed to keep the wrist in a more straight and natural position. The soft support pad also acts to cushion your wrist from the usually hard mouse surface such as a table or desk. A telltale sign of someone who has been using the mouse too long are red pressure marks on the underside of the wrist and heel of the palm.
While it is helpful to support the wrist with a soft pad and help keep it in a more straight position, there are some drawbacks users should be aware of. Since there is a tendency to let the wrist “sink” into the soft pad and stay there, lateral motion can become a problem. When moving from right to left, the user must be careful not to bend the wrist too much and try to slide the entire wrist if necessary, such as on a flat mouse pad.
Another problem is that the pad itself often inhibits mouse movement. As a result, we tend to lift the mouse a lot due to lack of space on the pad. Another danger is the unnatural grip of the mouse because the wrist support pushes the mouse further out of reach.
As long as the user is aware of these issues, he can make a better choice when selecting one. Make sure the wrist support isn’t so large that it pushes the mouse out of reach, and make sure the pad is large enough to move the mouse comfortably. Secondly, make sure the wrist support is not too soft, otherwise there is a danger that the wrist and heel of the palm will “sink” into the support and inhibit lateral movement.
The supports are made with all kinds of materials such as foam, gel, neoprene or silicone. It’s really up to the user to decide which one feels better. Spend a few minutes trying out all the choices available at the store and pick the one that feels good for your body. Finally, if at any point while mouse-clicking you feel any discomfort, the best advice is to simply take a break.
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