The prevalence of neck and upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms in computer mouse users

Computer pointing devices such as the mouse are widely used. Despite this, the relationship between musculoskeletal symptoms and mouse use has not been established. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether a relationship existed between computer mouse use and musculoskeletal symptoms in a sample of 270 computer mouse users. Factors demonstrating a significant association with symptoms were entered into a step-wise multiple logistic regression, adjusting for age and sex and controlling for potential interdependence between variables. No relationship was found between hours of mouse use per day and reported symptoms. A relationship was found between the variable of arm abduction which is specific to mouse use and symptoms in the neck. Relationships were found between non-mouse-specific risk factors such as stress, screen height and shoulder elevation. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that mouse use may contribute to musculoskeletal injury of the neck and upper extremity. Mouse users are exposed to the same recognised risk factors associated with keyboard use as well as the additional risk factor of arm abduction during mouse use. Relevance to industry Computer keyboard use has been associated with musculoskeletal injuries, Most people now use a pointing device such as the mouse to supplement the computer keyboard. Additional risk factors related to mouse use have the potential to increase prevalence of computer-related injuries. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.