Mouse Injuries
Mouse Injuries
Can you become ill by using a mouse? The debate is on but there are no certain conclusions.
Throughout the last decade there has been a lively debate on possible health risks in connection with the use of a computer. The term mouse injuries is often used as a common description for pains and aches in the back of the neck, the shoulders and the arms. The debate reflects the increasing use of computers.
In 1995 11% of the workforce spent more than 75% of the day working with computers. In 1990 this applied to 4% of the workforce. The amount of people working with computers is greatly increasing. It is estimated that 120 million people in the US are working with computers on a daily basis.
Population studies have shown that the share of pains originating from the motor apparatus is still increasing. Approximately half of all reported work related sufferings come from the motor apparatus. Every third consultation with a personal doctor concerns the motor apparatus.
However, work related pains in the arm and the back of the neck have been known for many years. There are many accounts from the eighteenth century of secretaries complaining of pains and fatigue in the arms, which were attributed to the monotonous movements of the pen on the paper. Outbreaks of writer’s cramp in the beginning of the nineteenth century were blamed on the introduction of the steel pen. Similar problems have been recorded in other professions: shoemakers, musicians and dairymen, among others. Thus there are numerous historical accounts of symptoms which are very similar to the mouse injuries of today.
No certain knowledge about mouse injuries
Our knowledge today about injuries caused by computer related work is primarily based on comprehensive surveys and, to a lesser extent, experimental studies of the body’s reaction to computer work.