Tanglaw Fall 1998

    High-Tech World Brings Real World Ailment

    Each day, more than 45 million Americans come to work, turn on their computers, and spend the next eight hours glued to their monitors. They stare at the screen, type on their keyboards and click their mice. As more and more people use computers, both at work and at home, computer-related repetitive stress injuries plague an increasing number of individuals.

    RSIs (Repetitive Stress Injuries) are not so much diseases, as they are a response to excessive and repetitive demands placed on the body. The hundreds of known repetitive stress injuries, or RSIs, all have a similar cause: excessive wear and tear on your body. They start when you do the same task over and over again, from clicking a mouse to craning to see the computer monitor. If your body doesn't get a chance to heal, the damage adds up, and can eventually destroy your ability to do your job.

    Carpal tunnel syndrome, marked by numbness, pain and tingling, remains one of the most common repetitive strain injuries. Swollen wrist tendons cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Repetitive flexing and movement of the wrist may cause these tendons to become aggravated and inflamed. The swollen tendons then apply pressure to the nerves located at the base of the thumb. The nerves become pinched, and the end result can be pain and loss of feeling in the fingers and hand.

    Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome:

    -Tingling or numbness in the fingers and -the hand
    -Sharp pains, especially at night
    -Burning sensations in the fingers
    -Feeling of stiffness in the hands
    -Feeling of weakness in the thumb
    -Inability to make a fist
    -Difficulty in gripping an object

    Tips for treating carpal tunnel syndrome:

    -Spend less time at the computer
    -Take frequent breaks
    -Avoid repetitive tasks
    -Avoid awkward posture
    -Avoid forceful arm and hand movements

    Although one percent of people suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome end up with permanent injuries, the majority can fully recover and remain healthy by changing their work habits. People with carpal tunnel syndrome can try a number of different treatment options, some offering more likelihood of success than others. Experts say the first step should be adjusting the work environment to meet the body needs.

    Ergonomist Gary Orr of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration says the key to avoiding repetitive stress injuries lies in better management of work. The wrist can be immobilized in a splint to minimize or prevent pressure on the nerves. Patients can also take anti-inflammatory drugs or have cortisone injected in their wrist to reduce swelling. Orr cautions, however, that anti-inflammatory drugs have not been proven to be effective in preventing CTS.

    Finally, patients can undergo surgery in which doctors cut open the wrist and sever the ligament at the bottom of the wrist to free the nerve and relieve pressure. Adapted from CNN.com Health inDepth

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