CBlend

I work in my company's IT department and my mouse hand is killing me. I'm looking for those massage balls for your hand. You get a pair of them and they usually come in a little box.

Do these have an official name? Where is a good place to get a quality pair of balls? If you know any good sites, please recommend them. I tried Amazon, but maybe I'd be better off looking at a health-related site?

maleficent

These things?
http://www.cfwenterprises.com/product.asp?pf_id=PT0802A


The ones I have are silverish - and have a very delicate chime inside when I roll them around in my hand...

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Blackthorn

In addition to those things you should look to get a more ergonomically shaped mouse. A mouse that more naturally fits the shape of your hand will provide less overall impact from the repetitive stress of hours and hours of mousing around.

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maleficent

on that same note... you also really want to consider your posture and hand positioning at your desk... If your hand is really hurting, you are holding the mouse too tightly.. your hand should just very loosely be on the mouse - it's not going to run away on your - no reason to have a death grip on it...

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Siege

I have a set of those balls myself. I personally don't notice any difference, and they aren't really giving you a massage.

I believe they are supposed to stimulate circulation, while the main purpose is supposed to make your life last longer. Somehow, I am a little skeptical about that.

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Sage

the chiming balls are relaxing if nothing else, so that helps you feel better when you're at your desk. My mother-in-law has one of these:



3M Ergonomic Computer Mouse

She says it's great because it mimics the natural resting state of your hand. It works well, you just need a big mousepad and don't expect to play Quake with the thing and be any good

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Rodney

You can get them in many stores that sell herbal remedies and such, including some natural food stores. They stretch the ligaments and tendons in the hand and forearm, and I generally feel a little relaxation after using them. They've also improved my dexterity a bit.

Don't know what the generic name is. The instructions I got with my (translated from the Chinese by someone who didn't speak English well, congratulated me on the "purchase of your new iron balls." So I can now honestly say I have balls of iron.

Siege

I'll look for my set tonight and post the name the set gives.

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raeanna74

I've heard them called Massage Balls or Reflex balls. I bought two pair - two different sizes from our local Dollar Tree. Their inventory circulates so if there's one in your area they may not have them any longer. It wouldn't hurt to ask - for a BUCK it would certainly be worth your time. Otherwise they seem fairly easy to find on google. I did a search for Chinese Massage Balls. I even added with chimes. I found Marble balls and some Reflex balls for only $6.00 or so plus shipping. Check around, maybe even call a few retailers. If you have a Dollar General or Dollar Tree or some such store for more inexpensive merchandise you just might get lucky and find them.

One example

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Siege

Mine actually are called "Iron balls". So your friend was right


On a side note: I need bigger balls, these ones are too small for me

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"Your name's Geek? Do you know the origin of the term? A geek is someone who bites the heads off chickens at a circus. I would never let you suck my dick with a name like Geek"

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Manuel Hong

I've heard them called chinese health balls.

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CBlend

Thanks, guys! Keep posting more links if you know any. I think I'd rather have them without the chime, since I'm going to be using them at work most of the time.

thingstodo

I think they are more a mental thing, especially when you get the pattern down. I like basic excercises with the balls you sqeeze and also teh old workout hand grips. And nothing beats a wrist support while youare actually at your PC.

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Biscuit Buns

I love chiming balls. I need to dig mine out - I wonder where they ran off to? Add some deep breathing to the hand exercises and you've got a pretty good meditation setting. I used to take mine to work with me and they helped my hands so much. Also, as Mal said, definitely look at your posture.

Stress balls work well, too, if you'd rather not have the chimes.

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cellophanedeity

I hope I'm not the only one who read this as "hand, massage balls!"

ervy:

You can get them in pretty much any store down Spadina in Toronto. Chinatown is filled with them.

Siege

So is pacific mall

But it's really frustrating. I really DO need a bigger set. But all the sets I find at asian places are all the same sizes. I can't imagine the trouble bigger people would have, I have the tiniest hands you could imagine.

Or maybe i've just mastered the art of hand ball massaging

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"Your name's Geek? Do you know the origin of the term? A geek is someone who bites the heads off chickens at a circus. I would never let you suck my dick with a name like Geek"

--Kevin Smith

This part just makes my posts easier to find

CBlend

I got 2 sets of solid massage balls - A silver pair and a marble pair. I like the silver ones better, but they are both great. One pair is going to work, and the other is staying at home with me.

Here's a pic of the silver balls:


I got them from this site if anyone is interested. They have them in 4 different sizes.

VitaminH

I know I can get them at a shop in Chinatown here in Chicago, not that that necessarilly helps you, but if you're near any city with an area like that, you may be able to find them in the shops there.

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Daniel_

I use a trackball on my PC. It's by Microsoft (boo hiss) but it does the job very well and fits neatly inthe palm of my hand.

Takes less room than a normal mouse too.

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Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
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dlish

you certainly were not the only one cell!!!! lol

on a serious note... see a physiothrepist. one of my best friends had the same problem at work and left it for a while. now its both hands with ligament damage he rekon. so i dunno.. see a proffesional's advice.

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Daniel_

Just to say - I keep seeing this thread title in the list and tinking of it as an inadvertent Haiku opening.....

Hand Massage Balls
Smiling Lips
A Good Night For All

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╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand;
And everthing is Green and Submarine
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

raeanna74

This is quite true. I suffer from carpal tunnel but it is not severe. When I use my computer and mouse for a longer period of time I end up with fingers going to sleep and aching in my hand. I have these massage balls but what gives my hands more relief is immobilizing them temporarily with braces. Use the braces at night consistantly and as much as you are able during the day. You can find them at any pharmacy. I have the wrist braces that have metal (sometimes they have hard plastic) inserts that run over the heal of your hand.

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maleficent

At one of my prior jobs, I went thru a bunch of courses to be trained in ergnomics crap... 99 percent of alll carpal tunnel injuries can be prevented by using proper posture and having your workstation environment setup correctly. Those braces, from everything I learned, do very little to correct the problem long term, and can actually make it worse because you are not strenghening your wrist muscles.

POSTURE POSTURE POSTURE... It is 100 percent about posture -- when I go to clients I want to smack the slouchers and the people who have death grips on the meeces because they are going to cause themselves problems in the long run...

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Yakk

So, nobody else thought of this?

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Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.

raeanna74

Actually that WAS my first thought but she was asking for something slightly different. So I didn't mention it.

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"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

Rodney

Actually, it's more like WRISTS WRISTS WRISTS. Keep the wrists elevated, hands drooping downward. Of course it's very uncomfortable to do this slouched over, so maybe we're talking the same thing from different angles. At any rate typing with your wrists held low can lead to carpal tunnel.

I pounded a keyboard pretty regularly for 30 years and never had a problem. (Did have a bit of a problem with "mouse shoulder," but moved to a trackball). Why? When I was a kid, I was forced into five years of piano lessons and was incessantly harangued to "keep your hands off the keyboard!" When I learned to type, I automatically held my wrists high, in the same position my old piano teacher forced me to use. Which is what saved me.

Yakk

Good point raeanna, mea culpa. I was just wondering about that elephant -- shoulda just kept my mouth shut. =-)

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Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.

clavus

My balls could use a hand-massage.

Oh, and I use a tablet instead of a mouse. Helps a lot.

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CBlend

I love that haiku

I really need to work on my posture as well. Maybe that is part of my problem. I should probably try and be more conscious of that. The balls do make my hands feel better, though, so I recommend using them as well.

Billy Ocean

Had a similar problem from working on computers... I just switched hands and use the mouse with my left hand now.

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CBlend

I wish I could switch hands now and then. I actually write left-handed, but can't seem to be able to work a mouse left-handed.

Delirious

Damn I was thinking the title of this topic meant something else~~

Yakk

Try reversing the mouse buttons on your offhand. That can sometimes help.

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Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.