At the start of this year, I told my doctor about experiencing constant severe wrist pain since the prior summer. A few weeks later I was connected to a machine with gentle shocks to complete a nerve conduction study. As expected, the cause was moderate carpal tunnel syndrome.
That prompted me to give up the trackpad and find the Logi MX Ergo wireless trackball mouse I’d bought a couple years before. Its fixed position on the desk and two upright angle choices made it infinitely more comfortable to use than a traditional mouse or trackpad.
Tried and trusted peripheral
While I investigated potentially having surgery to alleviate that wrist pain, I switched to the Logi MX Ergo for all my desktop Mac and most of my MacBook use.
By this past summer, I noticed the wrist pain starting to ease for the first time in a year. I think more time at my desk during work helped a lot, and that’s in part because of the Logi MX Ergo.
The only problem? I needed to find a micro USB cable every few months when the mouse died. As probably the last remaining device to use this port, the Logi MX Ergo kind of became a pain for a different reason, albeit less physically so.
The tradeoff was worth the hassle until recently. I learned that Logitech had released the Logi MX Ergo S, a virtually identical mouse except for the USB-C port replacing the micro USB port for charging. Suddenly my Logi MX Ergo experience had a path to perfection.
USB-C all the things
Logitech graciously provided a review sample of the updated S revision a couple weeks ago. First impression? Charging with USB-C before using it was so convenient. A single cable on my desk charges my iPhone, iPad, AirPods, keyboard, and lots of other accessories. Glorious!
At the time, I was spending a period with another mouse that lacked the same ergonomics. No severe wrist pain so no problem.
In the last few days, however, the carpal tunnel has flared up majorly like a throbbing tooth ache that extends to all my fingers. I’m still not ready for surgery, but I’ve been wearing the brace that I was given a year ago. It’s helping.
I also decided to take the Logi MX Ergo S for a spin today to see if it felt any better. My wrist and hand were immediately grateful. While everyone I know asks me if my ball mouse is from the 90s (no, but my nerves and bones are), I’m just relieved at how delightful it feels in the hand to control my cursor while the flare up is at its peak.
Beyond ergonomics
Because it stays fixed in one location during use, the MX Ergo S is also ideal for using a cursor on iPad and Apple Vision Pro when away from the desk. No need for a flat surface with room to move the mouse around.
I’m open to trying more ergonomic peripherals in the future, but for now the Logi MX Ergo / Ergo S is my tried and tested solution for minimizing the finger pain and wrist throbbing that comes with a dozen years of at least 40 hours a week behind a computer.
ʟᴀᴛᴇꜱᴛ ᴀᴘᴘʟᴇ ᴀᴄᴄᴇꜱꜱᴏʀʏ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ
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