I found a lot of conflicting advice online about what kind of mouse is the best for preventing and managing carpal tunnel syndrome. The only thing I’ve settled on is that too much repetition of any kind makes my symptoms worse. So my approach is to have a variety of mice (mouses?) and switch between them throughout the day.
My favorite ergonomic wireless mouse
A great way to alleviate some of the stress in the carpal tunnel is to rotate your hands 90° (the way you would pick a book off a book shelf), and there are mice available that let you work this way. It’s a little unusual and takes some time to get used to, but I find it really takes the pressure off of my carpal tunnel area and my symptoms lessen when I use this mouse (even when my symptoms are already flared up)
I didn’t find a ton of options, but I did try 2 different ones and preferred the Anker Vertical Ergonomic Wireless Mouse. It has a USB dongle instead of being native Bluetooth which seems to be common with a lot of wireless mice but I don’t love having to juggle another USB dongle. That said, the mouse is great and lets me work more time even after symptoms would make me stop otherwise.
The only frustration is that I regularly knock this mouse off the desk as
My favorite “regular” ergonomic wireless mouse
An ergonomic mouse is ideal, but sometimes you just want to use a “normal” mouse – and it’s also good to change up any repetitive motion. A lot of “normal” mice on the market – like Apple’s default mouse – feel small in my hand and I always end up holding them in bad ergonomic positions with my wrist bent. After trying several, the best fit I found is the Logitech MX Master Wireless Mouse. It has a comfortable resting position for my thumb and fingers. The laser also works really well on a variety of surfaces including glass, which makes it nice to travel with. I try to use the ergonomic mouse for the majority of the day, but this Logitech is a nice normal mouse with good ergonomics.
Trackpad Ergonomics
I have exclusively used an Apple bluetooth trackpad the last few years. I’m not sure of the ergonomics and science, but I’ve been trying not to use mine since I’ve been making trackpad motions for so many years. If you’ve used a regular mouse all these years, maybe a trackpad is a good change. I use my trackpad every so often just to change things up but am avoiding it for the most part.