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A randomized controlled trial evaluating an alternative mouse or forearm support on change in median and ulnar nerve motor latency at the wrist
Author(s) -
Conlon Craig F.,
Krause Niklas,
Rempel David M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20674
Subject(s) - medicine , wrist , forearm , median nerve , ulnar nerve , randomized controlled trial , computer mouse , physical medicine and rehabilitation , surgery , physical therapy , elbow , computer science , computer hardware
Background The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an alternative mouse and/or a forearm support board on nerve function at the wrist among engineers. Methods This randomized controlled intervention trial followed 206 engineers for 1 year. Distal motor latency (DML) at baseline and follow‐up was conducted for the median and ulnar nerves at the right wrist. Results One hundred fifty‐four subjects agreed to a nerve conduction study at the beginning and end of the study period. Those who received the alternative mouse had a protective effect (OR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.22–0.98) on change in the right ulnar DML. There was no significant effect on the median nerve DML. The forearm support board had no significant effect on the median or ulnar nerve DML. Conclusions In engineers who use a computer for more than 20 hr per week, an alternative mouse may have a protective effect for ulnar nerve function at the wrist. No protective effect of a forearm support board was found for the median nerve. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:304–310, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.