Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

I'm on the computer for 7+ hours a day and what I do is place my mouse on a 2 inch thick book which is black so I use it as a mouse pad..this keeps my forearm and wrist/hand level. At any rate I have never had a carpal tunnel problem..either I'm just lucky or I am doing something right.

I'm a sign language interpreter and have Repetitive Motion Injury (RMI), which is the precursor to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I agree that keyboards are important, as well as ergonomics with the wrist; however, I have found that the trapezium muscles also are a big factor. A gadget that I found that gives me arm and shoulder support is a forearm rest. These gadgets are made in different configurations, but essentially the support attaches to your desk edge like a vise, had articulated sections that let the gadget move as you move your arm, a 'C' shaped cup where your forearm rests, and some have a detachable mouse rest. I found that I don't contract my traps trying to keep my arm/wrist in place while using the mouse.

I found my first forearm rest at a retail store and found the 2nd on the internet. Best $110 I ever spent!

I am a firm believer in this type of keyboard and having been using one for years. I converted before I had any carpal tunnel symptoms and have remained symptom-free.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to find one of these keyboards with the number 6 key on the right side (the "correct" placement if you're a touch typist). I tried one with the 6 on the left for several months. The result was I could no longer remember where any of the numbers were, and it never got better. It just doesn't work to type three numbers with one finger. Not for me, anyway.

I eventually managed to find two of these keyboards (one for work and one for home) with the 6 on the right, and I won't give them up. I keep them through every computer upgrade. I dread the time they wear out and I have to try to find more.

My husband bought that keyboard for my office computer when I started to avoid using the computer because it was so painful. After reading more about carpal tunnel I put a box under my desk for my feet and adjusted my chair to correct my posture when sitting at the keyboard. The keyboard and box remind me to sit up straight. The pain disappeared before my scheduled doctor appointment.

The vitamin B-6 in 50mg dose every day will go a long way to relieving the problem. Also helps with arthritis and calcification in the joints of the fingers. I was taught an odd but very effective way to relieve the muscle tension. Go to a Physical Therapist for instruction. It works on the immediate problem and does help in the long run. It requires extending the arm and hand, tensioning the muscles in the arm, twisting the arm, and then applying pressure from the opposite hand on the thumb.

I solved my carpal tunnel problems by switching my ordinary mouse to one by Evoluent. It puts the hand in an entirely different position. I got it about two years ago, and my symptoms disappeared. I'm very happy with it. Just google Evoluent--and you'll be directed to the company.

I agree with brenda's comment, although I found an easier solution: I just bought an office chair with an adjustable armrest, and made sure that it was adjusted at the same level as the surface on which I run my mouse. This way, my entire arm rests on it as I work. Never a pain again!!!

At the first sign of repetitive motion troubles, in both my right wrist and elbow, I purchased one of those ergonomic keyboards which I hope will be replaceable when it wears out. It has the 6 in the wrong position, but I live with that, because I don't do many numbers there, using, instead the keypad. One thing this keyboard has that I like is a touch pad. That eliminates the constant reaching for the mouse. I place the keyboard on one of those lap pillows designed to hold laptops, and use an elevated gel wrist support under my right wrist, and that supports my whole arm most of the time. The important thing to remember, for those of us with this problem, is to keep the knees, the hips, and the elbows at right angles, which, in many cases means either lowering the chair or providing a foot rest. Anyway, this latest combination has worked for me for several years.

Another possibility for mousing that doesn't seem to have the same impact on the hand and wrist is a graphics tablet. They take a little getting used to, but because you're holding a pen rather than resting the weight of your hand or arm on a mouse, they do seem to help. My RSI problems haven't come back since I got my first graphics tablet about four years ago...

I've had a theory for years, about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I've used computers since the first TRS-80 about 30 years ago. Back in those days, I spent my evenings and all of my weekends on the computer. Since retiring 14 years ago, all my time has been spent on the computer. If anyone is a candidate for Carpal Tunnel, it would be me, but I've never had a trace of it.

For all this time on the computer, I've never learned proper touch typing. I type Hunt and Peck. In touch typing, the wrists are always slightly bent and always in the same position. I type with my wrists straight and move my arms as needed. I think the reason for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is simply holding the wrists rigidly in the same position.

A GREAT, configurable, freeware program to remind you to take breaks is Workrave. It will also guide you through some exercises. Check it out at http://www.workrave.org -- I have really been talking this one up!

My physio looked at my work station and said "No wonder". I had the mouse on the edge of the desk and my forearm completely unsupported. He changed it by pushing everything back on the desk so that I have my whole forearm resting on the desk when using the mouse. He explained that doing this makes you use your big shoulder muscles for the mouse, not the wrist. I was in agony until I tried it (3 years ago), but I haven't had any pain since.

I came to the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome article by way of a keyword search on this site. (I've been with the Tourbus e-mail list a few years now.) My particular interest trigger here was Bob's mention of laptop computing as 'green computing', coupled with someone else's observation that his experience of wrist problems was exacerbated by use of a laptop.

My own touch-typing training was in 1980, and the Windows adjustable keyboard has helped lessen my experience of wrist injury rather than increase it. (I used to tense my wrists too much on the manual office typewriter, and yet experienced electric typewriter keyboards as almost totally uncontrollable. No such problems with Windows adjustable keyboards.)

Maybe an important reason for my not having wrist problems with conventional desktop keyboard or mouse is that -- like the 9 April correspondent -- I have my elbows lower than my wrists?

I am a Chiropractor and treat loads of patients with carpal tunnel in Scranton, Pa. That article has some basic info on carpal tunnel and why you might want to consider Chiropractic, however not all Chiropractors specialize in CTS. Also, try a few exercises, stretch your arm out, palm down, grab the knuckles of the outstretched hand with the other hand and pull them down, stretching the forearms muscles gently. Then do the opposite, pull the fingers back. Sometimes CTS is directly related to tight forearm muscles! Give it a try.

Computer keyboard and mouse use can cause pain in the wrist. However, the forces involved in such activities are not great enough to cause injury to the median nerve which is the prerequisite for developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Often the pain in carpal tunnel syndrome becomes dormant and then becomes activated by stressful situations such as typing or being bent for a long period during sleep; hence the morning pain reported by carpal tunnel syndrome patients.

I believe the true cause of carpal tunnel is the repetitve bending of the wrists during sexual intercourse. Such repetitive bending is the most traumatic form of repetitive motion involving the wrists because it causes them to become hyperextended while bearing the weight of the upper body.

Making changes in posture during sexual intercourse to minimize the use of the wrists will prevent carpal tunnel syndrome in those who don't have it. They include placing the hands in a more forward position relative to the upper body, using other joints such as the elbows or knuckle joints(closed fist), placing the arms on a high level instead of the floor or the mattress and changing positions during intercourse. For those who already have carpal tunnel syndrome additional therapeutic measures will be necessary.

Yoga's success in combating carpal tunnel symptoms should be good news for sufferers and employers alike.

http://www.carpal-tunnel-syndrome-guide.info/