I've had some fairly severe mouse-related problems at times, and I used to switch hands every few days to keep either hand from getting over stressed (it helps to have a mouse that works with either hand). You get used to it pretty quickly. Lately it hasn't been a problem. It helps to have a well-designed mouse that fits your hand well. I picked out my current one by just playing with every mouse in the store and picking the most comfortable. In my case, it was a Microsoft wireless optical mouse, but everyone has different hands. It's hardly the only good one out there.
Another possibility is to switch from a mouse to a trackball. I find them a little easier on the hands. The Microsoft trackballs are OK, but I prefer Kensington. I strongly recommend taking a good hard look at your work setup. A lot of RSI problems derive from things like the desk being too high or low. As far as the elbow pain, I had a similar problem several years ago, and managed to get rid of it by using a tennis-elbow strap (any sporting goods store should have them). It's not a permanent solution, for that you need to address the underlying cause, but it's useful to for getting the problem under control. Guy ----- Original Message ----- From: Eric Crouch<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Lute List<mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 2:49 PM Subject: [LUTE] Re: Repetitive Stress Syndrome Have you thought about left hand mousing on the computer? I switched for similar reasons and found it very helpful. Anyone who can do lute left hand fingering should have no problems learning to use a mouse left handed. Eric Crouch On 2 Nov 2005, at 18:46, Craig Allen wrote: > Lately my right arm has been giving me lots of pain, in particular > inside the elbow. And it's affecting my playing. I sit and > pracitice for half an hour and when I unwind from the instrument I > get this pain right inside the elbow. I suspect the general cause > is working on a computer all day and finally the mouse is catching > up with me. I'm also getting a sharp pain at the left shoulder just > at the base of my neck. This can be excruciating. > > So then, does anyone here experience similar pains and aches and > what are you doing about it? If you're undergoing physical therapy > I'd be interested to know more about what kind specifically. I've > also heard Pat O'Brien often has good advice for these sorts of > things, but as I'm not in New York maybe one of his students here > could expound on any help he's given them. > > Thank you for your replies. > > Regards, > Craig > > > ___________________________________________________________ > $0 Web Hosting with up to 200MB web space, 1000 MB Transfer > 10 Personalized POP and Web E-mail Accounts, and much more. > Signup at www.doteasy.com<http://www.doteasy.com/> > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html<http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html> > --
