Who would have thought that a tiny mouse could cause so much pain and suffering.  We're not talking about the small furry rodent, we mean that clickable little piece of plastic that is connected to your hand for hours a day.  The position of your mouse and the way you use it can be the source of some agonizing shoulder conditions.

Extending your 'mouse arm' for long periiods of time will cuase the muscles in your shoulder to spasm from overwork and holding a continual contraction. Over time this can cause Bursitis and Frozen Shoulder Syndrome.

Bursitis is the swelling of a small fluid filled sack that exists in your joints, such as your shoulder and hip. It acts as a cushion but when continual pressure is applied to the joint from the surrounding muscles being in spasm then the bursa will become inflamed and cause pain.

Frozen Shoulder Syndrome (medically referred to as Adhesive Capsulitis) is a disorder in which the shoulder capsule becomes inflamed and stiff, greatly restricting motion and causing chronic pain.

Move the mouse closer to your body so that your elbow lines up vertically with your shoulder. This will relieve the strain on your "mouse" shoulder. Adjusting your armrests to support your elbow and forearm will also reduce strain.

Perform The Office Effect Upper Body Exercise Series to strengthen and rehabilitate your shoulder.  Consider a trackball mouse to minimize the repetitive movement.

Check out our book The Office Effect for even more solutions for work related shoulder pain.