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Best Mouse For Carpal Tunnel 2023

Wrist pain affecting your gaming? Your mouse might be the culprit

Updated: Oct 19, 2023 10:50 am
Best Mouse For Carpal Tunnel 2023

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The best mouse for carpal tunnel is an increasingly competitive category and it’s no surprise that gamers, particularly PC gamers have an increased likelihood of suffering from Carpal Tunnel syndrome. Long hours spent at a desk with a gaming mouse lead to rigorous hand, wrist, and finger movements. These can all lead to developing Carpal Tunnel syndrome, it’s not just PC gamers however, as a large amount of the general population spend many hours a day typing and using a mouse in offices for a living.

The best mouse for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome may be an effective way of reducing the risk of developing this increasingly prevalent condition. In fact, around 3-6% of adults develop carpal tunnel syndrome at some point in their lives, and that rate of incidence is only rising.

What is Carpal Tunnel syndrome?

Carpal Tunnel syndrome is among the most commonly identified neurological conditions. It’s caused by the impingement or squeezing of the median nerve at the intersection between the wrist and the hand. It often causes tingling, numbness, and in the most severe cases, atrophy of the muscles surrounding the thumb. Finding the best mouse for carpal tunnel syndrome can be an effective way to mitigate the symptoms and avoid developing the condition in the first place. The route through which the median nerve travels is already quite a slim gap, meaning that small damage or repetitive movements such as clicking and typing can narrow this gap. This ultimately leads to carpal tunnel syndrome.

one of the prevailing causes of Carpal Tunnel syndrome in both gamers and non-gamers is long periods of pronation of the hands, which is the position where your palms are facing the ground. This is the way your hands will be positioned to use traditional gaming mice and keyboards, so most of the picks in this list will be designed to reduce the level of pronation. Interestingly, those who use a very low DPI, such as most professional FPS players, tend to suffer more frequently, as the decreased DPI means that far more hand movement is needed to cover the distance.

How we pick the best mouse for Carpal Tunnel syndrome

As mentioned earlier, by far the best change you can make is to get a mouse with reduces the amount of pronation needed for use. Many mice do this by being positioned vertically, which might feel odd at first but it’s becoming a more and more common design so it’s obviously effective.

We also have to consider the mouse itself. It’s all well and good picking a comfortable mouse to hold, but if it lacks functionality in gaming or normal use, what is the point? To that end, we are only including mice that are suitable for gaming, and any extra features are just a bonus.

Things to consider when picking the best mouse for Carpal Tunnel

Aside from the health benefits, there are some more broad considerations that are applicable to buying mice in general, be it wireless, gaming, or Bluetooth. You have to think about the cost, the looks, the product quality, and the features. It’s increasingly common these days to see mice with many extra buttons, so common in fact, that many people consider the standard left and mouse buttons insufficient after growing so accustomed to additional functionality. So consider the following general rule of thumb you should be following when picking a mouse for carpal tunnel.

  • Price. Mice these days can cost upwards of $200, especially gaming mice. We’ve included mice from a few different price brackets to cover the wide variance in people’s budgets.
  • Comfort/ergonomics. This one is somewhat self-explanatory as the entire point of this page is to pick the best mouse for carpal tunnel. So must be comfortable to use, and, ideally, work for the varying grip styles gamers use.
  • Design. With the rise in PC gaming, esports, and of course RGB, PC peripherals have to look the part. We’ve included various colors and designs, some of these mice are even available in multiple colorways.
  • Build quality. Mice are notorious for being built with low-quality materials and unreliable electrics. Luckily, we’ve tested a lot of mice here at WePC so we have grown to know who to trust.

Best mouse for carpal tunnel syndrome in 2022

Logitech MX Vertical Wireless Mouse

Logitech MX Vertical Wireless Mouse

DPI

4,000

Sensor

Optical

Weight

135 Grams

Size

Medium (120 x 79 x 79 mm)

Battery Life

Four Months

Color

Mid Grey

Buttons

6 (4 customizable)

Pros
  • Advanved ergonomic design
  • Accurate tracking
  • USB-C quick charge (1 min = 3 hours of charge)
  • Very comfortbale
Cons
  • Quite heavy
  • Unorthodox shape

It’s no secret that Logitech rules the roost when it comes to gaming mice. they combine years of industry knowledge with some of the best materials and most technologically advanced manufacturing methods.

We’ve reviewed many of their mice in the past and they’ve always held up well to our testing process, both in gaming and general usage. The design is backed by ergonomic professionals and the price angle of tilt has been calculated to strike a balance between healthy ergonomics and usability, which is not an easy line to walk.

Additionally, the mouse features three modes of connection, Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless, and wired. This means you can rapidly switch between devices and ensure universal compatibility too. Gamers will be pleased to learn of the 4000 DPI sensor, which is more than enough for most applications and benefits from Logitech’s advanced optical sensor technology. It may be on the pricy side, but just like office chairs for back pain, it’s worth it to ensure your physical wellbeing.


Logitech MX Ergo Wireless Trackball Mouse

Logitech MX Ergo Wireless Trackball Mouse

Adjustable angles

0-20 degrees

Customizable buttons

8

Max battery life

Rechargeable

Tracking

Advanced Optical

Pros
  • Adjustable hinge – this will allow you to customize your hand position.
  • Ergonomic design – this will boost productivity and keep you comfortable.
  • Logitech Flow – this will optimize your workflow.
Cons
  • High price point.

In close second place after our top pick is a second option from Logitech, this time the MX Ergo Wireless Trackball Mouse. Based on aesthetics alone we have to admit that this gaming mouse is pretty cool, but what’s even greater is that it’s super comfortable to hold.

The ergonomic sculpted design features an adjustable hinge so you can adjust the trackball angle from anywhere between 0 to 20 degrees. You can customize it to suit the shape of your hand to reduce strain on your muscles and mitigate carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.

This is another mouse that’s capable of cross-computer control and navigation, but with this mouse, you can only connect up to two computer screens instead of three. There’s also a precision scroll wheel for seamless movements and tracking.

It features a rechargeable battery that can last for up to 70 days without being charged back up again, that’s 4 whole months on a full charge. Even one minute of charge can provide a full day of battery life, although this depends on the level of use and conditional context.


Evoluent VM4R Vertical Mouse

Evoluent VM4R Vertical Mouse

Color

clear

Connectivity Technology

USB

Item Dimensions

5.4 x 3.6 x 3.6 inches

Item Weight

7.05 ounces

Platform

Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows XP Professional

Sensor Technology

Laser

Pros
  • You’ll avoid blisters thanks to the wide lip which prevents your fingers from rubbing against the desk as you move the mouse across the desktop.
  • It’s equipped with hyper-scrolling for when you need to skim read through large documents.
  • You can trust in the quality of the brand as Evoluent has won multiple awards.
Cons
  • Some customers report that the coating/finish begins to wear after extended periods of use.

We’ll admit that first laying eyes on the Evoluent VM4R Vertical Mouse led to a few questions, but the more we thought about it the more we couldn’t stop thinking about it and how clever the design is. It’s thoughtfully and beautifully sculpted for optimum comfort.

The thumb rest has been upgraded to offer improved comfort and the buttons are strategically placed so that they’re easy to reach. The intuitive interface makes it easier for you to hit the right buttons when you’re gaming as well as reducing the strain on your hand.

Mouse Manager software is included with the purchase so you can program the buttons to your individual preferences for a personalized experience, and this is compatible with Windows 7, Windows 10, Mac OS 10.5 to 10.14 with an update for 10.15 in development.

Speaking of compatibility, the plug-n-play mouse works with every operating system that it can connect to via a USB. One last thing we love is that the top-mounted LEDs also indicate the selected pointer speed through the chrome thumb rest.


Anker Wireless Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse

Anker Wireless Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse

Color

Black

Connectivity Technology

Wireless

Hardware Interface

USB 2.0

Item Dimensions

3.98 x 3.23 x 3.15 inches

Item Weight

3.36 ounces

Platform

Linux

Pros
  • The ergonomic design helps to combat carpal tunnel as it encourages a more natural grip.
  • If you’re looking to spend a little less then this is a great budget option.
  • It has a number of advanced features that allow you to customize the mouse to suit your exact preferences and needs.
  • The design is attractive and interesting as well as contributing to the level of comfort.
Cons
  • It’s not the most durable option, although this is to be expected given the low price.

Another vertical mouse we looked at is the Anker wireless vertical optical mouse, a much more affordable option if you’re looking for a gaming mouse on a tighter budget. Despite its lower cost, there’s no compromise on quality or comfort with this ergonomic gaming mouse.

You’ll notice that there’s less strain on your hands due to the ‘handshake’ position that’s encouraged by the shape and design of the mouse which allows for more seamless movement: a benefit for both your health and your gaming performance.

The 800/1,200/1,600 DPI Resolution Optical Tracking Technology is far more sensitive than a traditional optical mouse would be and it provides precise tracking across a variety of different types of surfaces for fast responses on your computer monitor.

For your convenience, there are also next/previous buttons which make browsing the web much easier in between gaming as well as being great for gaming itself, and it automatically switches off after 8 minutes of inactivity to help conserve power.


Razer Pro Click Humanscale Wireless Mouse

Razer Pro Click Humanscale Wireless Mouse

Connectivity Technology

Bluetooth

Item Dimensions

4.99 x 3.14 x 1.8 inches

Item Weight

5.28 ounces

Sensor Technology

Optical

Pros
  • This is a durable option that should last for up to 50 million clicks.
  • It has a modern, attractive design that will look good next to your computer.
  • The multitasking function is a great feature that conveniently allows you to switch between applications.
Cons
  • Unfortunately, some customers report that Razer’s customer services can be quite a frustrating process.
  • The ‘switch’ off function kicks in after only a short amount of time.

Last on our list is the Razer Pro Click Humanscale mouse which takes us back towards the higher end of the price range to round things off. The ergonomic form factor is excellent and would be perfect for the gamer who spends all day at their computer.

It combines a modern look with modern technology as it’s equipped with a 5G advanced optical 16,000 DPI sensor which offers cutting-edge precision and accuracy.

When you need to be able to multitask you can connect up to 4 devices which is one of the many convenient benefits of this mouse, along with 8 programmable buttons that allow you to adjust the controls so they’re more efficient and effective.

This is a mouse that will see you through your longest days as it boasts an extended battery life of up to 400 hours before it requires recharging when connected via Bluetooth, and up to 200 hours via a 2.4GHz wireless connection.


Related mouse pages

IF you’re lucky enough to not find wrist pain an issue, have a look at some of our other mouse pages below.

Gaming mouse best of pages

Gaming mouse reviews

Final Word

Ultimately, even the best gaming mouse for carpal tunnel syndrome is hardly a cure when you’re experiencing high levels of pain or if you’re struggling with your symptoms. This can be a real pain (literally) when you’re gaming, so if you’re concerned it’s worth talking to a doctor. 

Any of the gaming mouse offerings we’ve included in this article would do a great job of mitigating the problems associated with gaming-related carpal tunnel injuries, so it’s down to you to work out which one will best suit your needs. We hope we’ve been able to help!


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