(1) 1oz of force at finger tip produces 10 oz on the finger / palm joint, each click is over 2 oz, and over 20 oz on the finger / palm joint, for 2,000 clicks each day, the force is over 1.13 tons for the finger. We are capable of remarkable things, but not indefinitely, especially our weak fingers.
Over extended periods of time, the continual strain caused by repetitive finger clicking eventually leads to inflammation and swelling of the flexor tendon. CTS can develop when swollen flexor tendons compress the median nerve, which runs from the arm to the hand through a space in the wrist called the carpal tunnel found under the transverse carpal ligament.
(2) "Often our clients report that moving the mouse is not a problem, but clicking it brings on pain. Mouse click emulation software can help with this” -- U.C. Berkeley web (click to read more)
(3) “What makes using a computer mouse hazardous?
There are two reasons why using a mouse regularly can be hazardous.
First, using a mouse requires a person to make small, exact movements with their hand, fingers, and thumb. By positioning, travelling, scrolling, and clicking the mouse again and again, the same small muscles can become tired and overworked. “ -- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) (Click to read more)
(4) "Mouse and keyboard use can cause finger pain. One common cause of finger pain is called trigger finger. Trigger finger is a swelling of the tendon or tendon sheath in the palm of the hand of the tendons that bend the fingers. This swelling prevents the tendon from gliding smoothly through the sheath and the "pulley" (ligament) which holds the tendon to the bone. Trigger finger occurs most frequently in the middle finger and the ring finger, but it can occur in any finger or the thumb."
"OCCUPATIONAL CAUSES
* Repetitively gripping or bending and straightening the fingers (e.g. - mouse clicking)
* Sustained gripping (e.g. - squeezing the mouse forcefully or holding a pen in a "death grip")
"
(Click to read more)
(5) “Trigger Finger - Repetitive Strain Finger Pain
Mouse and keyboard use can cause finger pain. One common cause of finger pain is called trigger finger. Trigger finger is a swelling of the tendon or tendon sheath in the palm of the hand of the tendons that bend the fingers. This swelling prevents the tendon from gliding smoothly through the sheath and the "pulley" (ligament) which holds the tendon to the bone. Trigger finger occurs most frequently in the middle finger and the ring finger, but it can occur in any finger or the thumb.
SYMPTOMS
* A locking, snapping, popping or catching sensation in the finger while making a fist.
* This "triggering" of the finger can be quite painful at times.
* The finger may "lock" into a bent position.
* There will most likely be pain or tenderness in the palm of the hand over the site of the pulley which holds the tendon close to the bone.
* There may be joint stiffness and pain in the affected finger.
OCCUPATIONAL CAUSES
* Repetitively gripping or bending and straightening the fingers (e.g. - mouse clicking)
* Sustained gripping (e.g. - squeezing the mouse forcefully or holding a pen in a "death grip")
* Using tools that have handles with sharp or hard edges ”
(Click to read more)
(6) More on the relationship between finger clicking and CTS:
In the past, a disability common to typists was known as ¡®Repetitive Strain Injury¡¯ (RSI) and was characterized by stiffness in the hands and fingers. This was due to the repeated pressing down of the fingers and incorrect positioning of hands at typewriters or computers.??
And today, the computer mouse is the well-known key culprit in repetitive strain injuries. Two teams of Danish researchers report that ¡°The more you click, the more damage you may be doing. The more you click your mouse, the greater the chance of suffering from pain, swelling and other repetitive strain injuries in the hand, neck and shoulder.¡±
"Constant clicking with the computer mouse and an unnatural hand position cause damage to the tissues that over the long term can lead to inflammation of the nerve fibres," says Bergmann£¬ head of the German Association of Nerve Doctors (BVDN).
Even initially minor symptoms represent a danger that the brain may form connections between the pain and the activity of clicking.
"The mouse click movement on its own can then trigger pain, even if the physical damage in the arm has already healed," Bergmann points out.
Surprisingly, what may initially present as only minor symptoms can develop into a chronic problem long after the physical damage has healed. This occurs when the brain makes a connection between the motion of finger clicking and pain.
Bergmann states that "The mouse click movement on its own can then trigger pain, even if the physical damage in the arm has already healed." ...
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The following sources are compiled from the NIOSH.
- The U.S. Department of Labor has concluded that CTS was the ¡®chief occupational hazard of the 90's¡¯, disabling workers in epidemic proportions.
- Currently, more than 8 million people are affected by CTS each year. Surgery for CTS is the second most common type of musculoskeletal surgery, (back surgery is No.1) with well over 230,000 procedures performed annually.
- In the United States, employers spend more than $7.4 billion in workers compensation costs, and untold billions on medical treatment, litigation costs, hidden costs and lost productivity (U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics).
- CTS is the No.1 reported medical problem, accounting for approximately 50%of all work-related injuries.
- Only 23% of all CTS patients returned to their previous professions following surgery (Bureau of Labor & Statistics and the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health [1997-2000 Statistics%).
- Every year more than 850,000 new visits are made to physicians due to the onset of CTS (National Center for Health Statistics).
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