You Asked for It
January 2003

At several work station assessments lately, I have come across the issue of workers with small hands using large, shaped mouses.

As with most furniture and equipment purchases, buyers tend to buy products that fit either the person who made the purchases or that will fit the majority of the workers. And, with the changes in technology, there seem to be a lot more mouses to choose from in a variety of shapes and sizes. When buying from a catalogue, the options available seem bigger, more contour and longer.

These selections are great if you have a large hand. But, when combined with a palm support to help keep the wrist flat, this can encourage the worker to over-extend the fingers in an effort to reach to the keys. Alternatively, the small handed user ends up shifting her support point further up the arm and puts pressure on the carpal tunnel and the flexor tendons.

The solution is to use a smaller mouse. I find the mouses intended for laptop computers ideal for smaller hands (and children). Using a small mouse for small hands allows the heel of the hand to be supported on the palm rest while the fingers do not have to reach for the keys. On several occasions I have recommended the use of the Mouseman Traveller by Logitek. I recently also found a couple of smaller mouses by Target that would work well. Generally, look for a mouse that is no more than 3" long for small hands.

Home | Services | About ErgoSum | Contact