02-06-2025
Could The Threat Of RSI Be A Shot In The Arm For Ergonomic Mouse Maker Contour?
The market for ergonomic peripherals and other items like standing desks is on the rise.
Last month, I looked at the Logitech MX Ergo S trackball, a device that can often be a good solution for anyone who is in danger of developing Repetitive Strain Injury or other postural problems from repeated use of a mouse. This month, I want to look at other ergonomic mouse options to see how they could help alleviate muscular strain from excessive mouse usage.
Contour Design was founded in 1995 by Steve Wang who noticed the prevalence of wrist pain and carpal tunnel syndrome in some of the CAD designers he knew who were using their computer mouse all day, Wang decided there had to be a better way to design an input device that could reduce the risk of RSI-type injuries.
The development of ergonomic mice and keyboards was also driven after the first generation of computer users began to develop injuries and ended up suing their employers for not ensuring they had a safe working environment. The threat of multi-million-dollar lawsuits also helped to fuel the demand for better mice.
The Ubnimouse is another product from Contour Design and has an adjustable tilt as well as being ... More available in left and right-hand versions.
Fast forward 30 years and Contour has morphed into one of the leading developers of ergonomic computer peripherals. The brand is known for its flagship RollerMouse. The company may be relatively small, but it is a global concern that focuses solely on developing products that re-engineer how people use their computers.
Contour's goal is to save the hands, wrists, shoulders and livelihoods of workers around the world who spend long hours working in front of their computers using software like photo editors, CAD design, video editors and other mouse-intensive applications.
While traditional mice are fine for pointing and clicking, they aren't designed to suit individual user's unique needs. A normal mouse may be relatively harmless when used in short bursts, but when pushed around for eight hours a day, five days a week, for most of the year, they become something else. Problems may not arise until after 30 years and that's when people can begin to see serious injuries developing.
The Unimouse can be tilted to just the right angle so the user puts less pressure on their wrist.
A standard computer mouse forces users to put their wrists flat on a desk surface. This can cut off the medial nerve that runs through the transverse carpal ligament that serves as a protective sheath for the nerves. It functions a little like a garden hose, where the nerve running through it is like water running through a hose.
Now imagine how manipulating a mouse by moving it from side to side can cause the wrist to pivot. That's a bit like pinching and kinking our analogous garden hose, which can obstruct or stop the flow of water. Over time, those kinks create a weakness in the hose, which becomes even more prone to kinking. That is how carpal tunnel syndrome develops.
The problem of excessive mouse use is also exacerbated by the user constantly having to reach for the mouse, which can cause shoulder strain. To counter this, some people prefer to keep their elbow on their chair armrest and pivot the mouse that way. This action can cause painful conditions like tennis elbow.\
To combat these problems, Contour makes something called the Unimouse. It's a vertical style mouse that places the hand into a handshake-like posture, forcing the wrist to be placed flat on the desk to remove contact stress and greatly reducing pivoting. Thes changes in posture can help reduce the factors that cause carpal tunnel syndrome.
The Contour Unimouse is available in both left and right-hand versions with a range of connections.
The Contour Unimouse has an adjustable body angle and thumb support for a 'natural posture' with the mouse. The ideal setup would be a combination of thumb support position and body angle where the user has full control over the mouse but without the need to actively grip it. This helps reduce the fatigue that using a mouse all day can cause.
The Unimouse is also designed to boost productivity thanks to six programmable buttons that enable users to create personal shortcuts and streamline tasks across various applications. Additionally, the Unimouse has a long-lasting rechargeable battery that runs for weeks on a single charge.
The Contour Design Unimouse has a rechargeable battery that runs for weeks on a single charge.
With its smooth and precision scrolling, the Unimouse is suitable for use by anyone who needs detailed control, such as CAD designers, graphic artists and power users. Using a combination of ergonomic design, customizable features and reliable battery life, the Contour Unimouse is all about comfort and efficiency and has controls like left and right buttons, scroll wheel, plus backwards and forwards buttons for web browsing.
Contour's other main ergonomic input product is the RollerMouse Red. Claimed to be the closest thing to a 'cure all' for RSI-type problem, the device has a centralized design and rollerbar control that encourages users to vary their posture when working at a computer. The device allows for finger and thumb control and can be used ambidextrously. The variety of usage styles helps eliminate the regular cursor control and repetitiveness that be the root cause of RSIs.
The RollerMouse Red from Contour is not cheap but it does offer some advanced solutions for people ... More with or in danger of contracting serious injury from repetitive use of input devices.
The RollerMouse Red also includes a built-in palm support and rollerbar that can relieve contact stress on the wrist as well as encouraging movement with the whole arm instead of just pivoting at the wrist. The centralized placement also helps to keep shoulders relaxed and elbows in.
With adaptations for all the functions people are likely to use on a computer, the roller bar ensures minimal stretching while its central working position protects against back, neck and shoulder pain. The narrow wrist rest is made from vegan leather and memory foam. There is also an antibacterial surface which is high resistant to infection.
The RollerMouse Red's narrow wrist rest is suitable for smaller hands and compact workstations. With built-in copy and paste buttons, it's also easy to quickly transfer text or images between programs. For other frequently used shortcuts, some of the device's buttons can be customized for those functions.
The Roller Mouse Red forces the user to adopt safer mousing posture.
For anyone who has ever suffered from some form of repetitive strain injury knows the long-term pain and disability these conditions can cause. With more of us working longer hours at home, often in less-than-ideal seating and working conditions, ergonomics has never been more important.
However, there's less chance of employers sending ergonomic specialists to the homes of workers for a workspace assessment. With that in mind, it's reasonable to speculate that the market for ergonomic input devices could see significant growth, especially if legal action increases from employees injured by working long hours at home with poorly designed devices.
The Contour RollerMouse Red is available now from Contour and with prices start at £349 / €403 and the Contour Unimouse is priced from £82 / €94 depending on type of connectivity.
