My forearm tendonitis problem of a few years back was a direct cause of improper mouse use. Been using a keyboard professionally (typographer; digital prepress print production tech) for over 30 years with no problems because I kept my posture good and my wrists in a neutral position. Unfortunately, when I started using a mouse, especially while cleaning up bitmapped line art scans, I broke all the rules: First of all, my mouse was on the desk in a very bad position for my wrist, I hung on to the mouse with a grip as if I'd fall off a cliff if I let go, and, of course, clicked a gazillion times a day. Oh, yeah, I'd get so involved with what I was doing, I didn't take breaks and just stared at the screen and clicked pixel by pixel. Arghh.

But . . . as soon as I realized I was creating a problem with my wrist and arm, (major wrist & arm pain, numbness and prickles at night, etc.), I did something about it. The muscles in your wrist and arm are meant to be used -- if you use them correctly.

Soft tissue takes a long time to heal. But it does, especially if you catch it early. I never missed a day of work because of it and never made a claim on my insurance. I did get some help from my osteopath when I saw him for something completely different at a point when my mouse wrist recovery had plateaued. He worked some hands on miracle in the vicinity of my elbow and gave me a few more hints as to care and feeding of mouse wrists, and today I'm fine and only feel twinges when I'm fatigued or doing something stupid.

Hard to believe there was a time I couldn't pour coffee or shake someone's hand.

Bat Goddess