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this post was submitted on 09 May 2026
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I do it because my right hand is getting sore from clicking but at home I still want to play games.
Legit strategy: a buddy of mine does this to fight tendinitis. I don’t remember if it came from his doctor or from online
Get work to pay for an ergonomic mouse for you!
When I WFH I use a trackball mouse (ball is in top). Occasionally I forgot to switch and get confused about why som actions are hard
It might help to get a longer mouse so you hand can rest comfortably on it. The soreness probably is not the clicking but the moving-while-tense. I bring my own to work to prevent this.
I do this, except I don't swap the buttons so that I could go back and forth from left to right hand without changing anything. (When I first did it, I swapped the buttons because that seemed more natural but I've since trained myself to use it "backwards" on the left hand.).
So ... Some people's brains are wired with directions being absolute, and some people's brains are wired with directions being relative. One of the easiest ways to tell which way your brain is wired is to switch your mouse to the other hand. If your brain is absolute-wired, then the main button is always on the left; if your brain is relative-wired, then the main button is always the one closest to your body.
Nah, this is simply a question of training. You can train yourself to do it either way.
I think this is probably bullshit?
Sure when using a mouse in their off hand some people might use a different primary button.
I don't think that necessarily provides any insight into how someone's brain is wired, nor whether or not absolute or relative brain wiring is actually a thing.
Yeah if there's anything human beings like, it's symmetry. I also alternate mouse hands but the buttons need to be swapped. Left vs right hand may not matter but primary is always under my pointer finger.
Someone correct me, but I believe the gear pattern in a manual transmission does not change between right hand and left hand cars.
That's what I observed when I briefly drove a car in northern India. It was very difficult to figure out because I kept expecting the first gear to be the one closest to my body....
If either of your hands is getting sore from clicking with any sort of regularity you should probably mention it to your doctor - it sounds like it could be a repetitive stress injury in the making.
Even if I went to the doctors what can they do? Its cooked and the only way to fix it is not using it so much
A physiotherapist might be able to work with you on some stretches or exercises to relieve pain and strengthen your muscles so they don't wear out. If it's documented by your doctor, you might get better coverage under medicare /insurance / worker's comp / etc. The advantage of going through a physiotherapist is that they'll be able to tell you if you're doing something wrong that will worsen your outcome.
I do a few stretches that seem to help me when I flare up. The most effective is when you place your hands palm together in front of your chest like you're praying 🙏 and then slowly rotate them so that your fingers point towards the ground. I can definitely feel the tension, and if it hurts like a bastard then don't do it. But stretching for a few minutes a few times each day makes a big difference personally.
To add to bougie birdie's reply, a doctor would be able to actually diagnose you and determine if this is a nerve related issue, repetitive stress injury, or potentially early signs of a degenerative disorder such as arthritis, etc. The treatment for a repetitive stress injury, if that is what is causing your pain, could include things like specialized brace to immobilize certain parts of your hand so they can heal properly (especially important during sleep).
My partner had a repetitive stress injury that she had diagnosed and then didn't see a therapist for (at first). Her injury did not heal even though she was not using that part of her hand until she finally went to an occupational therapist and got an appropriate brace (and instructions for tendon gliding exercises).
Have you tried a trackball?
Nope they look hard to use. I dont think it would help since its not a wrist issue its in my fingers that I click with.
My advice is for a pen tablet, but in all honesty I've never tried a trackball
Same here. Work mouse is a mirror of home mouse. I started putting it on the left because I use the 10-key a lot. When there was a phone I put it on the left too, so that my right hand (the 10-key hand) would not get confused by the upside down layout of the phone keypad.
At work, mouse and phone (gone now, thank every God) on left, to leave my dominant hand free for the keyboard, basically.
How heavy is your mouse? I switched to a super light corded gaming mouse (wireless mice weight a ton) and has considerably reduced hand fatigue. I also used to use the mouse in my non dominant hand as well.
Its the clicking that gets me. My current mouse has quite a light click but isnt helping
I switched to a trackball years ago for this reason. It doesn't necessarily solve the problem just shifts the task to your thumb.
I mouse right handed up to lunch, then left handed after that.
I switched years ago at work for similar reasons. When I carried it over at home, my left-handed partner at the time didn't like it - thought it was confusing to use a left-handed mouse. Go figure