If computer is to blame, may not be carpal tunnel
Report challenges commonly held belief
Wrist pain is a common complaint among people who spend their time working at computer keyboards, and conventional wisdom is that the pain is a symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by the compression of the median nerve in the wrist. According to a recent, controversial report, this compression may occur because of heredity, body weight, fracture, or even pregnancy — but not because of computer use.
A Harvard Medical School report, "Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands," describes many causes of hand pain and the exercises, therapies, and medications used to threat it. But the part of the report creating the most discussion among occupational health providers is the section that discusses wrist pain, CTS, and repetitive stress injury (RSI).
Carpal tunnel syndrome affects between 2% and 3% of the population, and occurs when one of the three major nerves that travel from the spinal cord down to the hand becomes "pinched." It affects nearly twice as many women as men. A procedure to ease this nerve disorder is one of the most common surgeries done in the United States, with more than 200,000 performed each year.
But according to Barry P. Simmons, MD, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and chief of hand/upper extremity service at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who edited the report, heavy computer use — up to seven hours a day — does not increase the risk that a person will develop carpal tunnel syndrome.
That's because the wrist ailment, which surged into public consciousness in the 1990s, typically arises from factors such as heredity, body weight, fractures, and pregnancy, but not from repetitive stress, Simmons says.
Even if the pain is from repetitive stress and not carpal tunnel syndrome, the pain and its effect on a person's ability to work are very real. The Harvard research team suggests office workers can put themselves in harm's way because of improper computer use and other workplace conditions that could provoke repetitive stress injuries. People who spend most of their day in front of a computer should be taught that pain from poor posture isn't limited to the hands; it can also affect the neck, shoulders, and other parts of the body.
And while heavy computer use can cause RSI, carpal tunnel syndrome is not an RSI, but a separate and distinct injury, Simmons points out.
"Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands" is available from Harvard Health Publications at www.health.harvard.edu/HND.
Wrist pain is a common complaint among people who spend their time working at computer keyboards, and conventional wisdom is that the pain is a symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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