Easy Steps to Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Guest Writer: Spencer Hunt

Editor’s Note: As the recipient of carpal tunnel release surgery, I’m very big on making my workspace as ergonomic as possible. I use a trackball instead of a mouse, I have an ergonomic keyboard and I sit on a ball instead of a chair. Therefore, I thought I would share this article by Mr. Hunt with you because, as writers, we really need to watch the ergonomics of our workspace.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that causes tingling, numbness and pain in the hand and fingers. It occurs when the median nerve that runs from the forearm to hand becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist area. This nerve is what controls the sensations in the thumb, first three fingers (excluding the little finger) and the palm. It also is the nerve that controls impulses in the smaller muscle groups in the hand that allow movement. The carpal tunnel itself is a rigid, narrow channel of ligaments and bone. It lies at the base of the hand, housing most of the median nerve and tendons.

A person gets carpal tunnel syndrome when this channel of ligament and bone thickens and the tunnel is narrowed. This can happen due to swelling of inflamed tendons or other swelling within the tunnel. This swelling compresses the median nerve causing pain, weakness, numbness and tingling in the hand and wrist and can even radiate up the arm. This type of condition, broadly known as an entrapment neuropathy, can occur in any part of the body where the body’s peripheral nerves are traumatized or compressed. Of the entrapment neuropathies, carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common and most widely known. Read more »