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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
This is not a new condition, but its a common illness in the information technology age born from long hours of computer keyboarding...
Symptoms
Carpal tunnel syndrome typically starts gradually with a vague aching in your wrist that can extend to your hand or forearm. Other common carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms include:
* Tingling or numbness in your fingers or hand, especially your thumb, index, middle or ring fingers, but not your little finger. This sensation often occurs while driving a vehicle or holding a phone or a newspaper or upon awakening. Many people "shake out" their hands to relieve their symptoms.
* Pain radiating or extending from your wrist up your arm to your shoulder or down into your palm or fingers, especially after forceful or repetitive use. This usually occurs on palm side of your forearm.
* A sense of weakness in your hands and a tendency to drop objects.
* A constant loss of feeling in some fingers. This can occur if the condition is advanced.
Causes
The cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is pressure on the median nerve. The median nerve is a mixed nerve, meaning it has a sensory function and also provides nerve signals to move your muscles (motor function). The median nerve provides sensation to your thumb, index finger, middle finger and the middle-finger side of the ring finger.
Pressure on the nerve can stem from anything that reduces the space for it in the carpal tunnel. Causes might include anything from bone spurs to the most common cause, which is swelling or thickening of the lining and lubricating layer (synovium) of the tendons in your carpal tunnel.
The exact cause of the swelling usually isn't known, but a variety of conditions and factors can play a role:
* Other health conditions. Some examples include rheumatoid arthritis, certain hormonal disorders — such as diabetes, thyroid disorders and menopause — fluid retention due to pregnancy, or deposits of amyloid, an abnormal protein produced by cells in your bone marrow.
* Repetitive use or injury. Repetitive flexing and extending of the tendons in the hands and wrists, particularly when done forcefully and for prolonged periods without rest, also can increase pressure within the carpal tunnel. Injury to your wrist can cause swelling that exerts pressure on the median nerve.
* Physical characteristics. It may be that your carpal tunnel is more narrow than average. Other less common causes include a generalized nerve problem or pressure on the median nerve at more than one location.
Risk factors
Some studies suggest that carpal tunnel syndrome can result from overuse or strain in certain job tasks that require a combination of repetitive, forceful and awkward or stressed motions of your hands and wrists. Examples of these include using power tools — such as chippers, grinders, chain saws or jackhammers — and heavy assembly line work, such as occurs in a meatpacking plant. Although repetitive computer use is commonly assumed to cause carpal tunnel syndrome, the scientific evidence for this association isn't definitive.
Although it's not clear which activities can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, if your work or hobbies are hand-intensive — involving a combination of awkward, repetitive wrist or finger motions, forceful pinching or gripping, and working with vibrating tools — you may be at higher risk of developing the condition.
Other risk factors include:
* Your sex. Women are three times as likely as men are to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. The incidence in women peaks after menopause, and the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome also increases in men during middle age.
* Heredity. You may be significantly more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome if close relatives have had the condition. Inherited physical characteristics, such as the shape of your wrist, may make you more susceptible.
* Certain health conditions. Conditions including some thyroid problems, diabetes, obesity and rheumatoid arthritis can increase your risk. Women who are pregnant, taking oral contraceptives or going through menopause also are at increased risk, most likely due to hormonal changes. Fluid retention may be a cause of carpal tunnel syndrome during pregnancy. Fortunately, carpal tunnel syndrome related to pregnancy almost always improves after childbirth. People who smoke cigarettes may experience worse symptoms and slower recovery from carpal tunnel syndrome than nonsmokers do.
Prevention
There are no proven strategies to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, but to protect your hands from a variety of ailments, take the following precautions:
* Reduce your force and relax your grip. Most people use more force than needed to perform many tasks involving the hands. If your work involves a cash register, for instance, hit the keys softly. For prolonged handwriting, use a big pen with an oversized, soft grip adapter and free-flowing ink. This way you won't have to grip the pen tightly or press as hard on the paper.
* Take frequent breaks. Every 15 to 20 minutes give your hands and wrists a break by gently stretching and bending them. Alternate tasks when possible. If you use equipment that vibrates or that requires you to exert a great amount of force, taking breaks is even more important.
* Watch your form. Avoid bending your wrist all the way up or down. A relaxed middle position is best. If you use a keyboard, keep it at elbow height or slightly lower.
* Improve your posture. Incorrect posture can cause your shoulders to roll forward. When your shoulders are in this position, your neck and shoulder muscles are shortened, compressing nerves in your neck. This can affect your wrists, fingers and hands.
* Keep your hands warm. You're more likely to develop hand pain and stiffness if you work in a cold environment. If you can't control the temperature at work, put on fingerless gloves that keep your hands and wrists warm.
Symptoms
Carpal tunnel syndrome typically starts gradually with a vague aching in your wrist that can extend to your hand or forearm. Other common carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms include:
* Tingling or numbness in your fingers or hand, especially your thumb, index, middle or ring fingers, but not your little finger. This sensation often occurs while driving a vehicle or holding a phone or a newspaper or upon awakening. Many people "shake out" their hands to relieve their symptoms.
* Pain radiating or extending from your wrist up your arm to your shoulder or down into your palm or fingers, especially after forceful or repetitive use. This usually occurs on palm side of your forearm.
* A sense of weakness in your hands and a tendency to drop objects.
* A constant loss of feeling in some fingers. This can occur if the condition is advanced.
Causes
The cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is pressure on the median nerve. The median nerve is a mixed nerve, meaning it has a sensory function and also provides nerve signals to move your muscles (motor function). The median nerve provides sensation to your thumb, index finger, middle finger and the middle-finger side of the ring finger.
Pressure on the nerve can stem from anything that reduces the space for it in the carpal tunnel. Causes might include anything from bone spurs to the most common cause, which is swelling or thickening of the lining and lubricating layer (synovium) of the tendons in your carpal tunnel.
The exact cause of the swelling usually isn't known, but a variety of conditions and factors can play a role:
* Other health conditions. Some examples include rheumatoid arthritis, certain hormonal disorders — such as diabetes, thyroid disorders and menopause — fluid retention due to pregnancy, or deposits of amyloid, an abnormal protein produced by cells in your bone marrow.
* Repetitive use or injury. Repetitive flexing and extending of the tendons in the hands and wrists, particularly when done forcefully and for prolonged periods without rest, also can increase pressure within the carpal tunnel. Injury to your wrist can cause swelling that exerts pressure on the median nerve.
* Physical characteristics. It may be that your carpal tunnel is more narrow than average. Other less common causes include a generalized nerve problem or pressure on the median nerve at more than one location.
Risk factors
Some studies suggest that carpal tunnel syndrome can result from overuse or strain in certain job tasks that require a combination of repetitive, forceful and awkward or stressed motions of your hands and wrists. Examples of these include using power tools — such as chippers, grinders, chain saws or jackhammers — and heavy assembly line work, such as occurs in a meatpacking plant. Although repetitive computer use is commonly assumed to cause carpal tunnel syndrome, the scientific evidence for this association isn't definitive.
Although it's not clear which activities can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, if your work or hobbies are hand-intensive — involving a combination of awkward, repetitive wrist or finger motions, forceful pinching or gripping, and working with vibrating tools — you may be at higher risk of developing the condition.
Other risk factors include:
* Your sex. Women are three times as likely as men are to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. The incidence in women peaks after menopause, and the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome also increases in men during middle age.
* Heredity. You may be significantly more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome if close relatives have had the condition. Inherited physical characteristics, such as the shape of your wrist, may make you more susceptible.
* Certain health conditions. Conditions including some thyroid problems, diabetes, obesity and rheumatoid arthritis can increase your risk. Women who are pregnant, taking oral contraceptives or going through menopause also are at increased risk, most likely due to hormonal changes. Fluid retention may be a cause of carpal tunnel syndrome during pregnancy. Fortunately, carpal tunnel syndrome related to pregnancy almost always improves after childbirth. People who smoke cigarettes may experience worse symptoms and slower recovery from carpal tunnel syndrome than nonsmokers do.
Prevention
There are no proven strategies to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, but to protect your hands from a variety of ailments, take the following precautions:
* Reduce your force and relax your grip. Most people use more force than needed to perform many tasks involving the hands. If your work involves a cash register, for instance, hit the keys softly. For prolonged handwriting, use a big pen with an oversized, soft grip adapter and free-flowing ink. This way you won't have to grip the pen tightly or press as hard on the paper.
* Take frequent breaks. Every 15 to 20 minutes give your hands and wrists a break by gently stretching and bending them. Alternate tasks when possible. If you use equipment that vibrates or that requires you to exert a great amount of force, taking breaks is even more important.
* Watch your form. Avoid bending your wrist all the way up or down. A relaxed middle position is best. If you use a keyboard, keep it at elbow height or slightly lower.
* Improve your posture. Incorrect posture can cause your shoulders to roll forward. When your shoulders are in this position, your neck and shoulder muscles are shortened, compressing nerves in your neck. This can affect your wrists, fingers and hands.
* Keep your hands warm. You're more likely to develop hand pain and stiffness if you work in a cold environment. If you can't control the temperature at work, put on fingerless gloves that keep your hands and wrists warm.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by jayRDlinc on -
for detail of How Can Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Be Prevented and Treated see word file attach
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Permalink Reply by Peter Liberth T. D adivas on -
ok heres my two cents again about this topic.. hope others will share too..
im not really knowledgeable about this topic but i'll share anyway..this is just base on my experience..
about 2 years ago i start feeling this pain in my hand that's a bit uncomfortable.. eventually my boss hears about it. this turns out to be a big deal for them.. carpal tunnel syndrome if diagnose, a law here requires them to put the sick employee in a leave of absences with pay indefinitely or worse pay them a big sum to retire or something like that. So he tells me to research and buy anything i want.. to protect my hands and change the posture of my hands in doing what we all do... "click".
so i did surf the net and stores to find a mouse and a keyboard that will change my posture on clicking.. i found a couple of things that helps me a lot, in fact by using these in a month the pain was gone.... mind you. this is not a product endorsement.. hahaha (this product don’t pay me or anything ha.. hehehe) this works for me i just want to share this in the hopes it will help somebody too.. please if you have your own secrets please share it here...
ok the mouse:
there’s a lot of mice that has ergonomics designs. but i really like this one..."click this out": its from microsoft, its quite tall and your hand will not touch the table surface at all, your fingers are not horizontal or lining up with the table rather its in an angle leaning to the right. its a bit awkward at first but over time you will get use to it. as side from the scroll it also have two more programmable buttons that i made one a " shift button" so i can "shift+right click" using just one hand...
here’s the link:
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/ProductDetails.a...
next the keyboard:
theres also a lot of keyboards out there but... what i discover is not a keyboard.. but a command unit for video games. i do a lot of command shortcuts using the keyboard. (wesama style autocad hehehe).. this unit only have 21 programmable keys but combining them you can virtually do all commands in Autocad shortcuts. your hand is rested and are not moving like the wide keyboard.. add a number pad beside it and you got it all. it even have a small joystick to scroll up and down menus.
if your writing text, then thats the time you need the regular keyboard,
the point of having this extra things in the top of your computer table is for your hands not to be just in one posture all the time.. so i used the keyboard and the command unit alternately.
here’s the link:
http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/cyborgcommand.htm
again hope this helps. take good care of your hands..... in this line of work... thats all we got.. and please share your ideas also ..please
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