Top 3 ways to properly hold a mouse to protect your wrist

If you have to regularly use a computer mouse and experience wrist pain, don't miss this article. Below TipsMake will introduce to you 3 ways to hold the mouse properly to avoid wrist injury.

Harmful effects of holding the mouse incorrectly

Holding the mouse properly is very important when you work for a long time. When using the mouse in a small space for a long time, your hand will not be able to stretch comfortably. Combined with holding the mouse incorrectly will cause hand pain in the wrist and finger joints.

Most people think that using a computer mouse regularly and experiencing neck and finger pain is normal. However, they do not know that this is the time when the ligaments (parts that play a role in supporting the durability of bones and joints) at the wrist location are gradually being damaged. In the long term, it can cause mouse operations such as dragging, dropping, and clicking to be affected.

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Principles for holding the mouse properly

To avoid ligament damage as well as protect your wrist, remember the 3 ways to properly hold the mouse that TipsMake shares below:

1. Holding position

The most important principle in properly holding a mouse is the mouse holding position. When using a computer mouse, you need to place the mouse in a position that matches the keyboard. Don't let the mouse get too close because it will make it difficult to operate the mouse freely. You should also not place it too far away as it will cause your hands to quickly get tired. Therefore, the most reasonable distance is for the mouse to lie parallel to the computer keyboard.

2. Adjust mouse speed

This is also a principle you need to keep in mind. In particular, you should customize the sensitivity and cursor speed to suit your usability. Because if the mouse speed is too slow, you have to move the mouse continuously to get to the position you need. Conversely, your operations will not be accurate if the mouse speed is too fast.

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3. Hand and wrist position

Hand and wrist placement is also an important factor you should keep in mind. You should keep your hands and wrists in a straight line when operating the mouse. Use a moderate amount of force to place it on the mouse until you feel most comfortable. Your wrist should limit bending up or down when using it. Note that you should not rotate your wrist too much when moving the mouse. Instead, you need to combine your wrist with your forearm to move the mouse more naturally and effectively, while limiting wrist damage.

3 Ways to hold the mouse properly

The 3 ways to hold the mouse properly below will help you a lot in using the mouse and protecting your wrist. At the same time, TipsMake will also analyze the pros and cons of each method to help you choose the most suitable method.

1. Palm Grip (Place your whole hand on the mouse)

The first of the three ways to properly hold a mouse is the Palm Grip way . This is the way to hold the mouse used by many users. With this method, you will place your entire hand on the mouse, your palm placed on its back and covering the entire surface of the mouse. At the same time, the part near the wrist and back will be close to the tail of the computer mouse.

When holding the mouse in the Palm Grip way, you will move and hold the mouse through your thumb, pinky or ring finger. The index finger and middle finger will control the left and right buttons of the mouse, respectively. In addition, with mice designed with function buttons on the side, the left finger and little finger will be responsible for control.

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Advantage

1. Widely used and popular, bringing a sense of comfort.
2. This method mainly uses the wrist to control the mouse, so the operations are often very precise.
3. If you combine your wrist and forearm smoothly while using the mouse, it will limit pain and fatigue when operating.

Defect

1. Users' fingers often have difficulty clicking the mouse.
2. Mouse cursor movement speed is not fast and has some limitations.
3. If you use your wrists frequently in this way, your bones and joints will be adversely affected.

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2. Fingertip Grip (Do not place your hand on the mouse)

This position is considered by many users to be the most difficult of the 3 ways to properly hold the mouse listed here. The reason is that the contact area between the fingertips and hand with the mouse is relatively small.

When you use this method, your fingers can only touch the mouse buttons. At the same time, your palm will keep a certain distance from the mouse surface. This creates a great deal of pressure and is very harmful to the bones and joints.

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Advantage

1. Moving and clicking operations achieve high speed.
2. Control every mouse movement through your fingers.
3. Clicking speed is significantly improved and performed faster than usual.

Defect

1. Bones and joints are affected, hands get tired quickly because of constant pressure.
2. If used regularly for a long time, it will cause discomfort.
3. Suffering from bone and joint diseases in the hands and wrists if used for a long time.

3. Claw Grip (Place your fingers on the mouse)

The last of the 3 ways to hold the mouse properly . In this way, when using the mouse you will have to curl your fingers up, and only be in contact with the keys through your fingertips. The palm of your hand only touches the mouse surface with a small area.

When holding the mouse using the Claw Grip method , the wrist will play a key role in controlling the mouse. In particular, you will improve your mouse click speed. However, this way of holding the mouse also causes the user's finger joints to be affected quite a lot.

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Advantage

1. Control the mouse freely and easily.
2. Improve mouse control speed with your wrist.
3. The speed of mouse clicking operations is also enhanced.

Defect

1. Creates an uncomfortable, unnatural feeling when used.
2. Each operation on the mouse must be precise and meticulous.
3. If the user frequently manipulates the wristband, the fingers will quickly get tired.
4. Wrist and finger joints will be adversely affected if this method is used for a long time.

Epilogue

Hopefully the 3 ways to hold the mouse properly that TipsMake introduced above will help you choose a suitable position, thereby protecting your wrist. If you find the article interesting and useful, you can share it with people around you. Thank you for following the article content.

Micah Soto

Update 03 October 2023