Click. Point. Click. Point. Oh the clicking and pointing and the hurting!

Jokes aside it is a serious issue. You can only use one part of your body in one repetitive way for so long before you begin to feel pain, and you might know a lot of keyboard shortcuts, but chances are you still point n’ click your mouse like a pointy-clicky-thing more days than not.

Whether you call it “Mouse-hand” or “Mouse-itis” or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) any true geek (or office worker general for that matter) will know what I mean: pain that starts in the hand and works it’s way up through the wrist and potentially even up the arm.

Yoga can help to alleviate or prevent this problem. You don’t even need to get up! Next time you’re downloading a huge file (or watching a software tutorial) just practice this simple routine of yoga for the wrists.

Wrist bending

1. Sit up straight in your chair.
2. Hold your arms straight out out in front of you (yes, you WILL need to let go of the mouse!)
3. Turn your palm down to face the floor, fingers stretched out straight. Your arms should be parallel to the floor.
4. Inhale as you lift your fingers up, bending from the wrists so that your palms face away from you like you were hand-signaling an oncoming truck to stop. (Oh - probably not a very relaxing analogy! Sorry!)
5. Feel that stretch? That’s a good thing (just go easy, don’t turn a ’stretch’ into a ’strain’).
6. Exhale as you lower your palms again, continuing until your fingers are pointing at the floor. Your arms should stay in the same position, just bend from the wrist. You should feel a nice stretch in your forearm.
   
7. Repeat several times.
   
8. Get back to work.

This should increase strength and flexibility in your wrists and help to alleviate the pain caused by repeated use of the mouse.

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