Writers Occupational Hazard: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Image via Wikipedia

It has often been said that one does not miss something until it is gone.  However, an individual will not fully understand the truth behind the statement until hand functions fail.  Symptoms usually start gradually. As the median nerve control to the palm side of the thumb and fingers worsen, grasping objects can become difficult.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is an occupational hazard among writers. A writer would notice numbness and weakness in the hand when holding a pen.  The excruciating pain that will keep the fingers from moving can go on for three weeks.  For three weeks, a writer could probably manage to write on a keyboard with one-hand typing, but what if the hand does not get better.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a cumulative trauma disorder of the hand and wrist, is one of the most common disabling injuries experienced by writers. The frequent cause of Carpal Tunnel is repetitive use of the hand and wrist in activities such as typing and writing.

Repetitive strain injuries arise from repeated physical movements. The repetitive tasks writers perform damages tendons, nerves, muscles, and other soft body tissues. Occupations using computer and flat, light-touch keyboards that permit high speed typing have resulted in an epidemic of injuries of the hands, arms, and shoulders. In addition, the use of pointing devices like mice and trackballs that allows repeated keystrokes and long periods of clutching and dragging are as much reasons, even more hazardous.

This can happen even more quickly as a result of typing technique and body positions that place unnecessary stress on the tendons and nerves in the hand, wrist, arms, and even the shoulders and neck.

Based on data collected on job exposure and posture factors using questionnaires including direct observation, the study indicated that the main cause of CTS is job design. The secondary cause is posture associated with the workplace design and the third factor to CTS is the individual anthropometric make-up: weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height. Sometimes, the thickening of irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the nerve to be compressed.

Some people have smaller carpal tunnels than other people do. The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway of ligament and bones at the base of your hand that contains nerve and tendons. 

Is your wrist painful and numb? The three basic assessment techniques that a writer can employ to assess the percentage of deficit are pain, temperature, light touch, and pressure. Have somebody draw a line on the normal hand using the thumb. Then run the same test on the affected hand.  Compare and assess the percentage of pressure or sensation felt on the normal hand versus the affected hand. The test is positive when tingling in the fingers or increasing numbness is felt.

Severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be corrected by surgery. Other do-it-yourself treatments include resting your hand, splinting the affected wrist overnight, taking pain and anti-inflammatory medicines, and surgery. Neutral mobilization, which is a manual therapy, offers long term benefit: pain free for years. Self-help care for writers like frequent stretching exercises, rest breaks, correct posture and wrist position including wearing fingerless gloves to help keep hands warm and flexible are effective in reducing the occurrence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or CTS is a bio-mechanical and cumulative trauma disorder.  It is an occupational hazard among writers that can simply start with wrong posture then progresses to a condition that can cause inflammation and pain.

One of the delights of having healthy functioning hands is writing.  Yet, Carpal Tunnel is a very real syndrome that stops writers from writing.  So, take heed, because without a sound mind and body, nothing else matters.