Heated Mouse: Handy, or a Trap?
December 26, 2008 8:17 PM   Subscribe

Can anyone offer advice about purchasing and using a heated computer mouse? I'm developing symptoms of secondary Raynaud's and a heated mouse sounds promising, in theory. How well do they work? Super warm nimble gloves would also be welcome if anyone could suggest a type to try.
posted by woodway to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)
 
This one is a bit off the wall, but it's the best I have to offer: what about getting a chording keyboard, like a Twiddler2, and using it inside of something warm?
posted by adipocere at 8:28 PM on December 26, 2008


Ah, but what about the other hand...? It may help to keep your core body warmer, the extremities should take care of themselves. I couple of years ago during winter I seemed to be developing it, my fingers would turn white even wearing gloves. It has seemed to go away though, might have just been bad circulation, or I'm just not out in the cold as much anymore.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 9:47 PM on December 26, 2008


Response by poster: Only my right side (hand and foot) go ice cold when I'm working; secondary Raynaud's is asymmetric, which is something I'll discuss with my doctor. I've tried taking breaks to warm up my hand. It's really hard to get warm, and normal circulation only seems to return if I get away from work for 1/2 hr or so -- not feasible on a regular basis! Hence my curiosity about a heated mouse or other ideas that might help while I work.
posted by woodway at 4:07 AM on December 27, 2008


I had right-handed carpal tunnel symptoms, which included my hand becoming freezing, from mousing. I looked at mice, decided against it, and made a wrist device that, in the winter, I would heat up. It was a sock full of rice, placed under my wrist and at the base of the mouse. Any of those other fillers for neckwarmers (cracked corn? buckwheat?) could also work.

As for gloves, you'll want fingerless, and you could always get another wristband and stick that around the wrist. That keeps the hand warmer without affecting the dexterity needed to mouse.
posted by cobaltnine at 6:35 AM on December 27, 2008


I haven't used these so I can't vouch for their effectiveness, but what about USB-heated gloves?
posted by awegz at 6:55 AM on December 27, 2008


Response by poster: Interesting: thanks for the suggestions. Blood flow in the hand itself seems to be normal; it's just my fingers that are icy (ditto toes on the same side). I'm not sure that fingerless gloves would do much apart from lending me that sexy Bob Cratchett look -- but hey, that could be reason enough to give it a try.
posted by woodway at 6:59 AM on December 27, 2008


Best answer: You might look into mechanic's gloves. They are designed specifically to maintain maximum dexterity.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:18 AM on December 27, 2008 [1 favorite]


Or, if not the mechanic's gloves, at least some warm fingerless gloves. Also, hot tea (something herbal and/or decaf, if the caffeine aggravates your symptoms), and getting up for a walk / stretch to keep your circulation up will probably help, and can be combined with any other suggestions here. Good luck!
posted by silentbicycle at 8:03 AM on December 27, 2008


I used to regularly wear Handeze gloves. They're fingerless gloves made of quite tight stretchy material. They kept me warm, didn't get in the way of typing/mousing, and the compression of the material felt good. I haven't needed to buy a pair in ten years but they still seem to be available.
posted by Nelson at 8:25 AM on December 27, 2008 [2 favorites]


As a fellow Reynaud's sufferer, I would advise you to think twice about supportive gloves such as Handeze. They squeeze like Isotoners and will consrict your blood flow even more than the cold air is doing. I've had great success with a combination of mermaid gloves and a beanbag-type wrist support for my mouse hand.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:25 AM on December 27, 2008


I can second the Handeze gloves, but sizing really does matter, as they can constrict the bloodflow (as noted by Oriole Adams). The 'plus' version includes a pocket and heatpad thingy, but I've never used them.

On the heated mouse front, mefi's own DU made a USB version, and the instructions seem pretty easy. You may want to contact him. Good luck.
posted by rider at 12:27 PM on December 27, 2008


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