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(More customer reviews)In terms of my experience with this product, I have assisted several thousand workers with mouse-related injuries over the past 13 years, working for 10 years as a rehabilitation ergonomist under contract to the UK's Department for Work and Pensions. I have recommended the Evoluent literally thousands of times and have found it to be highly effective in the rehabilitation of upper-limb disorders, when used correctly.
In terms of training/qualification, I have an MSc (with distinction) in Health Ergonomics, from the European Institute for Health and Medical Sciences (EIHMS), Surrey University, UK. EIHMS is a World Health Organization designated 'Centre of Excellence' in the field of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. My thesis was on 'The Influence of Workstation Layout on Working Postures.' I have taught many professional courses on computer ergonomics. I am currently (2008) engaged in my PhD at Purdue University, USA. I have been a full member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society since 2004.
Let me say at the outset that I take mouse injuries very seriously; they are far more prevalent than keyboard injuries, and may be far more disabling. I am 'independent,' by which I mean I do not sell any products, neither am I paid to endorse any products. As a professional ergonomist, I strongly believe paid endorsements are unethical. I am paid by my clients to give impartial, effective advice, that's all.
However, I felt moved to lend my backing to the Evoluent Vertical Mouse, now shipping in its third incarnation.
Ever since Evoluent launched the first version of VM, I have had tremendous success with injured workers switching form standard mice and trackballs to this device.
Mouse design has changed little since Douglas Engelbart's "X-Y Position Indicator For A Display System" was accepted by the US patent office in 1970. The mouse that ships with most computer systems is shaped to be cupped in the hand, palm facing downward (i.e., pronated) during mouse actuation.
This hand/forearm position is of concern to ergonomists; with the elbow flexed, as is generally the case when operating the mouse, hand pronation is achieved by the contraction of the pronator quadratus and pronator teres muscles, whose capacity for work is inversely proportional to the duration of contraction.
The ergonomist thus aims to reduce pronation.
The `neutral' posture of the forearm (if the elbow is flexed) is illustrated by the `handshake' posture, in which the thumb is uppermost and the palm is open, but relaxed.
This posture is readily achieved using `vertical' mice, such as the Evoluent Vertical Mouse. Joystick mouse designs, like the Anir, reduce pronation, but require the operator to adopt a `closed hand' posture in which the flexor tendons are constantly contracted. Joystick mice often require thumb use to click buttons, which is another risk factor, (De Quervain's tenosynovitis).
Touchpads, like the Cirque, SmartCat, generally operate by heat, not pressure, require no grip and COULD be operated vertically, but are generally used horizontally, with the hand pronated. A drawback of touchpads is that they are not optimized for tasks such as copying and pasting or dragging and dropping, being less efficient for such tasks, compared with the Evoluent, which works in exactly the way we are accustomed to mice working. An additional issue is that touchpads tend to have small screens, so that hand-centric movements are likely, which represents an additional risk factor for tendon injury, particularly tennis elbow or forearm extensor tendon injury.
The light clicking action on the Evoluent means that the thumb may be rested on the device, rather than being used to 'squeeze' or pinch when the buttons are clicked - this is important, because a relaxed thumb is essential to well-being in prolonged mouse use.
Getting the most benefit out of the Evoluent requires attention to other aspects of ergonomics.
1) I never advocate the use of wrist rests, particularly in front of a mouse, because wrist pads on mouse mats increase risk of lateral epicondylitis. If you have a mouse mat with a wrist pad built in, dump it, or turn it around so tha pad doesn't touch your wrist! Just use a plain, 90-cent mouse mat - these are the best solution by far (and also the cheapest).
2) Get your seat height correctly adjusted - when sitting relaxed in your chair, the underside of your elbows should be level with the mouse so that, as you take hold of the Evoluent, your forearm is horizontal. Make sure your feet arent't dangling - use a footrest or some telephone directories if your feet are dangling when your elbows are at the right working height!
3) Rest the weight of your arms on the correctly adjusted armrests of your task chair - the armrests should be close to your side, and padded, so that they support the fleshy part of your forearms just below the elbow. This relaxes your shoulders, reducing muscular tension and optimizing blood flow to and from the hands/wrists/arms.
4) Use arm-centric movements, not hand-centric movements! This is VERY important. Move the mouse using the muscles of your upper arm, not by bending your wrist - this is easy once your forearm is supported at the correct height; don't try to rest your wrist on anything, as this will reduce the benefits of using an Evoluent.
5) Even with a great mouse like the Evoluent, unless you are actually moving and clicking with the mouse, remember to let go of it...frequently relaxing your hand and arm is important. Research shows that if you are working under a lot of pressure, you will grip the mouse harder and click with unnecessarily high force - both of which increase risk of injury. The Evoluent requires only a gently, resting action to stabilize it against clicking actions, because the buttons operate using very low force.
6) I suggest 30-second breaks for the hand after at most 15 minutes of sustained mouse use. This will happen automatically if you are switching between keyboard and mouse constantly, but if you are doing intensive mouse work (like drawing or some forms of web browsing), you can easily end up fixing your hand postures for 30 minutes or more, which is not healthy.
7) Just because a new device feels comfortable at first, doesn't mean it will stay that way - it just uses different muscles and tendons compared with your old device. So be careful not to judge a device as a success after only a few days of use - after all, how long did it take before your standard mouse injured you?
The Evoluent is an excellent 'preventive' device, if properly used and if you take reasonable breaks as described above.
Hope this helps any injured users out there. As I say, the Evoluent is a great solution and in my professional opinion, it should become 'standard issue.' Robert Stuthridge B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc (Health Ergonomics).
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Product Description:
The Evoluent VerticalMouse is the advanced third generation of the revolutionary mouse from the inventor of the handshake grip. The patented shape supports your hand in a fully upright handshake position that eliminates forearm twisting. An ordinary horizontal mouse requires your forearm to twist away from its natural position. The grip is the same as an ordinary mouse, just turned sideways into a handshake position. Many users said they got used to it very quickly. The VerticalMouse does not move sideways when clicking with normal force because the thumb naturally opposes the fingers. Pointer control is as accurate as any other good mouse when the pointer speed settings are properly adjusted.
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