ergonomics: what's better; trackball, ergonomic mouse or some other pointing device (a-la touchscreen)?

Question

So I bit into the hype and recently purchased an apple wireless keyboard and that evil bar-of-soap thing apple makes for a mouse. Couple of hundred dollars later and this is where I begin to worry about RSI. Go figure.

Don't get me wrong, this apple mouse is genius and looks pretty as hell, but my right wrist feels tired after a full day's worth of work, so i'm thinking of switching.

Anyone out there use a trackball? is this worse? should I get a super-ergonomic mouse instead?

I've seen mouse-trackball combos but am not sold, they still elicit the same end-finger behaviour detrimental for RSI, right?

I also have a wrist-rest mousepad, but couldn't find one suitable for my keyboard. I've even considered having a small touchscreen where the mousepad should go, no mouse (or alternatively, a usb trackpad).

Just looking for ideas, is the trackball better than the mouse?

/mp

Answer 1

Personally, I've used a trackball for the last 5-6 years and find it vastly superior to the mouse. I thinks it's up to personal preference. If you are using a mouse and have problems, try out a trackball for a while, or vice-versa.

Answer 2

I'd say no, for two reasons:

First, a trackball may be more ergonomic (though I'd debate that), but it's much more difficult to use.

Second, trackballs get very dirty, very fast, which stops them from working properly. Since about a third of my time at the computer when I'm working is spent using the mouse for something, that makes a trackball a nonstarter for me. I don't have time to stop working to clean my equipment two or three times a day.

Answer 3

I started with the Logitech Trackball and never looked back. I'm currently running a Microsoft Trackball Optical and love it. I prefer the thumb located ball as opposed to the center located ball, but again it goes to preference.

Answer 4

I used to get wrist pain after a prolonged coding session, so I used a mouse at work and a track-ball at home. Something about using different muscles seemed to help.

To answer your question I found it a non issue after a while. I liked the trackball, but have my favourite pointing device is my Microsoft Traveller mouse I have been using for the last 2 years. It is very comfortable and fits nicely in my hand so I am driving the whole mouse. I have an Apple mouse too which is also very nice, but not quite as good as the traveller...

Answer 5

I have recently switched from a regular mouse to a Logitech trackball (thumb operated), and I have to say that it was a very positive experience. I have a bit of trouble with right wrist (the mouse handling wrist), and I find that using the trackball actually helps to relieve this.

For me, the transition from a regular mouse to the trackball was totally problem free. Using it felt very natural, so it did not take more than one or two hours to feel at home with it.

I would absolutely recommend trying a trackball.

Answer 6

It depends, I use:

Normal mouse for gaming, aiming with the trackball is very difficult.

Trackball for the typical stuff that usually has bigger "targets" to click than gaming. You reduce the probabilities of RSI with this one.

Tablet pen or little joystick in my notebook when I'm reading in a strange position like in bed.

Ive read about DataHand Professional keyboards that seem to do wonders. There is a learning curve though.

Answer 7

I recently bought a vertical mouse based on a lot of good reviews from software engineers who swear by it. I have only had it 2 weeks, taking me a while to get use to it, but I do seem to have less pain in my wrists and arms.

So you might want to look into that as an alternative to trackball or convention mouses.

http://www.evoluent.com/vm3.html

Answer 8

I use a vertical mouse (Evoluent Vertical Mouse 3 rev2). To get an idea what it is like turn your mouse up to put your arm in the classic "hand-shake" position (pinkie on desk, thumb at top), with maybe a 5% from true vertical incline (or decline?) to the left.

This allows your arm and wrist to sit in a much more natural position than the traditional mouse that forces you to twist your arm to the horizontal position. That way you reduce the stress on you arm from twisting it all day long. If your arm is in a less stressful position the repetition does not have as huge an impact.

I've had it for a few months now - I noticed an immediate improvement in the tightness I felt in my arm, and have been extremely pleased with it.

Answer 9

A couple of weeks ago, I went to see an ergonomics specialist (for people living in Holland: The Back Shop), and I learned quite a few things there. I realize this topic has some "voodoo" quality, but I'll just tell what seems to work for me:

• Don't use a keyboard that's too wide. You need to be able to use your mouse in front of your body (i.e., normally, you're moving your arm more to the right of your body, which increases strain). So I bought a simple, small laptop keyboard --- it's very narrow.
• A vertical mouse relieves strain, but a mouse that's in between horizontal and vertical is even better. The only one I know that does this is the "Handshoe Mouse". It works. It's just great.
• I've had bad experiences with trackballs. They only made things worse.
• A tablet also worked quite OK, but quickly became a pain when I needed to right-click. For this tablet, it involved pressing a small button on the side of the pen, which also increased strain a lot .
• Make sure you have a good chair, and that your desk and keyboard are at the right height. Your lower arms need to be approximately horizontal.

Hope this helps!

(Side note: I've been having RSI-related complaints for a couple of years now. Fortunately, I've been able to sort of limit them, but they never really went away. Of course, SO doesn't really help, either ;))

Answer 10

I had a bad encounter a few years ago with RSI, while I was using a Microsoft Natural Keyboard (which isn't natural at all) and a regular optical mouse.

Now I'm using a DataHand and a trackball. The combination of these two made my RSI go away. Natural keyboard + ergonomic mouse is no good, because the keyboard is too wide and you have to reach for the mouse. DataHand + regular mouse is no good for your mouse hand. You can read more about my experiences on my old blog.

The DataHand takes quite a bit of practice, but it's well worth it. The real problem is that it's not being manufactured right now.

Answer 11

I switched from a mouse to a tablet, which is both a lot more accurate than a mouse ( so you spend less time moving it ), lighter and means your hand is in about 3/4 supination ( as you don't need much pressure to work it ).

Answer 12

Track Ball all the way. I've tested the accuracy of my track ball pointing at small targets, to my regular optical mouse. The verdict, track ball is much more efficient. My track ball mouse is a MicroSoft track ball mouse.

About the issues of it becoming dirty. I use mine for about 6hrs a day and I only have to clean it about twice a year. Easy to clean to, just pop out the track ball and wipe with dry cloth, and you're done.

For playing games like Speed Chess 5min or less you have to move really fast. I use my track ball mouse for this and it works so much better then the optical mouse.

There are different sorts of track ball mouse designs. Some seem almost flat. Mine is not quite vertical, it is more diagonal.

When it comes to limited space nothing beats the track ball mouse,just slight movements of the very dextrous index finger. When I use an optical mouse now I feel like I'm traveling back in time.

So sure when you first use a track ball mouse your skill will not be as good compared to an optical mouse, but with a little time... Track ball rolls over the optical mouse in speed accuracy and comfort(ergonomics) Track Ball Wins!

Answer 13

I've just grown used to touch-screens and can't live without it. If you have used before a Mac, IPhone... well, you already know that having multiple gestures for zooming, rotation, history navigation, scroll... feels much better than just point and click.

You could think in a touchscreen but also in a touch pad. There are external touchpads (Wacom for example) supporting multiple gestures. So you don't need to own a Mac. Also the external ones tend to be extra large which adds to comfort.

However be aware that sometimes it is a matter of personal taste and most people needs some time to adapt to it. Most of us have used a mouse for far too long