"Health Beat"

Over the past few days, I’ve been learning more and more about carpal tunnel syndrome.

Apparently, it’s a little more controversial than I had realized.

Illustration of the carpal tunnel. Provided by: Leslie Laurien, M.S.M.I., from Medem: Medical Library

The carpal tunnel is a tiny stiff passageway between ligaments and bones that runs from the underside of the wrist to the hand.  Through it runs the median nerve.  The median nerve is a large nerve that runs all the way down the arm to the hand.

In the hand, it communicates with the thumb and the first three fingers.  When the ligaments or tendons that pass through this little corridor become irritated or injured in some way, they may become swollen.  Therefore they take up more space in the carpel tunnel, which leaves less room for the median nerve.  And then you have carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome, I learned, has quite a few symptoms, not only pain.  Tingling.  Numbness.  Inability to grip strongly.

This is often exacerbated by sleep, as folks can sleep with their wrists bent in a variety of directions (seems even in sleep we don’t know what to do with our hands).  In some instances, sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome wake up repeatedly in the night due to pain or extreme discomfort.  And then of course the misery level increases due to being low on sleep!

The reason why I mention ‘controversy’ is that I had always thought it was a given that prolonged activities such as typing or computer use would contribute to or cause carpal tunnel syndrome.  Now that I’m reading up on it, I’m surprised to see that the jury is still out on this as a cause.

Certain other work-related activities are acknowledged to be the culprit–assembly line work, cleaning, manufacturing, sewing, meat packing, fish processing, forestry work (can you imagine what repetitive chainsaw use might due to those tendons?).  This is certainly a far cry from the image most of us may have of carpal tunnel sufferers, that of the person sitting at the computer keyboard for hours on end.   Women are much more likely to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome: it’s thought because the carpal tunnel is smaller in women than in men.

So a woman who works a blue-collar job is more likely to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome.  And  workers with carpal tunnel syndrome have to deal with losses in time and pay.   To be brutally honest–and no, it’s not fair–a blue-collar woman is probably least likely to be able to afford such losses.

On a brighter note, testing for carpal tunnel syndrome is more precise than it was in the 1990s, when CPT came onto the scene in a big way.  In 2002, OSHA started doing research and putting together a wide-ranging plan to put the lean on factories regarding ergonomic guidelines, education, and improvements in worker comfort.  Physical therapy and sports medicine companies have developed products to help prevent and aid in treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome.  These products are easier to find, research, and get insurance reimbursement for then they were a decade ago.

Smart Glove PM by Imak

Posted in Injuries, Uncategorized, Work | 4 Comments »