Nov 19

Written by:
Thursday, November 19, 2009 

Hey, if you are reading this, you probably qualify as a "mouse potato". This term is said to have been invented by an American writer, Alice Kahn, in 1993. While you know that the computer mouse is the thing that moves the cursor on the computer screen, you probably were not aware that Kahn used the term, "mouse potato" to describe young people who spent a lot of time on the computer.

Whether you are at work, at home, or just out and about, a large part of your day is spent connected to the Internet. Unfortunately, this puts your hands, wrists, and elbows at risk. Chronic irritation may lead to symptoms such as numbness, pain, swelling, or stiffness of joints. All of that repetitious mouse clicking can take its toll. Too much strain and repetition on a any body part potentially can lead to injury. The condition that results is often called an over-use injury or over-use syndrome.

You may know a little bit about ergonomics through the work place. You know that you should be using your whole arm and not just your wrist when using the mouse. Don't forget to release that death grip on the mouse as well! If you are not using it, take it off the mouse and relax your hand. Doing these things are easy ways to reduce your risk of an over-use injury. Now it may take time for something to happen, and hopefully it won't.... but once your symptoms are annoying or constant, you will be looking for some relief.

Then it's time to visit your massage therapist for a 30-minute hand and forearm massage if you are really pressed for time. If not, go ahead and get a full body 60-minute massage and ask for some extra time on those areas giving you problems. You want that pain and any other symptoms to decrease so that you can continue to do what you like to do. Relax those fingers and I'll see you online later.