RSSStudy Refutes Keyboard, Carpal Link
By Ed Oswald | Published December 14, 2005, 6:00 PM
A report released Wednesday by the Harvard Medical School may turn some common assumptions about computer usage on their head. According to the report, titled "Hands: Strategies for Strong, Pain-Free Hands," heavy keyboarding may not be responsible for incidences of carpal tunnel syndrome after all.
Carpal tunnel is caused when nerves in the wrist are pinched, however it's not caused by frequent use of a keyboard, claims the report. Instead, it is caused by heredity, body weight, fracture, or even pregnancy.
Now, don't go out typing to your heart's content. Researchers still warned that improper computer use could cause different types of repetitive stress injuries, of which carpal tunnel is incorrectly described as one.
Thus, it's probably a good idea to still keep that gel wrist rest close by.
The report says that about two to three percent of the population is affected by the disorder. Surgery to relieve the pain associated with the problem is one of the most common surgeries performed in the United States, with over 200,000 procedures completed each year.
Research indicates that those susceptible to carpal tunnel do not increase their chances of the disorder by heavy computer use of up to seven hours per day.
The Harvard Medical School report also warned that problems due to improper computer use or workplace habits could contribute to injuries of the neck and shoulders, as well as other parts of the body.
The report, which is at
http://www.health.harvar...ong_pain_free_hands.htm
costs $16 to buy so I'm not going to spend the money myself, but it's interesting that the table of contents has a section on Carpal Tunnel, but not RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) which is much more common.
From an ergonomic perspective, it's not necessarily the keyboard itself that is the problem, but the position of your wrist. Too much flexion in the wrists (bending them upward) can aggravate and lead to RSI. Wrist rests are controversial and not always a good idea because they can encourage you to type with your wrists in a flexed position. Micro breaks are a good thing, several comments mentioned software that helps with that.
And yeah it's not really news that factors leading to RSI are hereditary - some people can type like maniacs and never have a problem while others can suffer from routine use.
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|We have also done research on Carpal Tunnel and you are correct. However there are other factors at play regarding the median nerve, the one that "causes" CTS.
Keyboard Related Injuries Hit Hard
The virtual epidemic of keyboard-related injuries has hit our computer-driven workplace, as well as home users, bringing with it everything from tingling and numbness to intense pain and even disability. So far traditional treatments have failed provide relief.
It’s Not Traditional Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Traditional treatments like rigid splints and braces and even last resort hand surgery have been of limited use to today’s computer users. These treatments may even make symptoms worse because they were designed for sufferers of traditional carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) which is caused by internal pressure on the median nerve at the base of the hand. The painful problems that plague keyboard and mouse users come from an entirely different, external source.
Computer-Associates Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Sufferers of computer-associates CTS exhibit many symptoms similar to traditional case says of carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress injuries. However most computer users’ problems are caused not by internal pressure, but by the direct external pressure that is applied to the wrist while working with the keyboard or mouse. Common keyboarding posture concentrates the full weight of a hand and arm on one square inch of the wrist directly over the vulnerable median nerve causing a distinctly new type of CTS.
Clinical Research
Our study of data entry personnel and medical transcriptionists statistically proved the effectiveness of softFlex Computer Gloves. Over 75% of the symptomatic computer users in our study showed marked improvement after just six weeks of wearing the gloves and 25% were cured of their symptoms.
Please note that this article was written by SoftFlex and I work for SoftFlex. The point is that it is not CTS and we agree with Ed Oswald.
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|I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with surgery performed five years ago. This was not very successful but I have it looked after by a wonderful massage/osteopath man who keeps it under control. However, I was informed from several sources that it is connected with Diabetes which I have had for 21 years.
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|What is keyboarding ? Stop verbing nouns - it's not big or clever to invent new words - there's one already and it's shorter "typing". I despair for the English language.
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|As a computer professional and carpal tunnel suffer, my observation is that typing doesn't aggrevate my carpal tunnel. However using the mouse does. So my stategy is to use applications that minimize mouse useage and to use an IBM/Lenovo keyboard with a trackpoint (eraser pointer) instead of a mouse on my personal computer.
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|Any knowledgable ergonomist/medical practitioner already knows this -- several studies have appeared over the years stating the same thing.
Keyboarding and mousing cause repetitive strain injuries (e.g. tendinitis, deQuervain's syndrome, tenosynovitis) -- just not the particular one called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Other than the fact that most people misname their injury, this study is irrelevant.
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|I use some free keyboard and mouse monitoring software http://www.workrave.org/
I think its a major factor in putting my RSI into reverse. 12 months after installing it I'm almost pain free now.
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|7 hours a day is quite a bit. I use RSIGuard - http://www.rsiguard.com and it tracks the exact amount of time I'm using the computer (and keeps me from overdoing it).
As for the rist rest joke - not so funny. Used incorrectly, wrist rests in front of the keyboard can restrict circulation...badness.
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|Could you kindly provide a link to the report? I find this hard to believe. Besides, you don't say whether repetitive stress injuries are being misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel, or whether carpal tunnel is being correctly diagnosed but misattributed.
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|Wow, "seven hours per day" is heavy use??
Either way, I have been using computer keyboards for nearly 25 years now, and my wrists are shot. I really do question the validity of this study, since I and so many friends that use computers have the same (carpal tunnel) issues.
I find it rather coincidental that when I use the computer for typing for more than 1/2 hour at a time, my hands tingle and then fall asleep. Stay away from computer, and no problems at all.
As for heredity, body weight, etc. I am in good health and my parents do not have the carpal-tunnel issue (nor do they use the keyboard much). I ONLY see a direct correlation between repetitive stress on the wrists/hands (be it keyboarding or other work) and the incidence of carpal tunnel (I've personnally known 4 people to have surgery to correct it) -- 3 were heavy keyboard users, 1 was construction (hammering, drilling, etc).
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|They're not denying your condition. They're saying it is a Repetitive Stress Injury but is not (or should not be called) Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Makes no difference to me what you call it. I know the pain and discomfort from long-term keyboard use is real, just like you do. Actually, I've been using the term RSI instead of Carpal Tunnel ever since I first went to a doctor and he explained the difference to me.
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|Personal experience. Too much mouse clicking causes pain in my wrist and then my whole arm. Stop using mouse for 2 days = gone. Got a Gel wrist pad = better. That's my scientific study ;)
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|Yes, but is that really "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" or a different Repetitive Stress Injury? That's all this research is saying.
When I was first diagnosed with RSI, my doctor told me that "Carpal Tunnel" is simply the oldest known RSI and is what laymen call all wrist and hand RSI's. Since then, I haven't called my condition "Carpal Tunnel", I just say the wrist braces and special keyboard is for an RSI.
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|True story, a few years ago my right pointer finger (typical left mouse clicking finger) started to click, on it's own, randomly. Eventually it got over it but it creeped me out.
I've been using computers daily since I was about 16, I'm 25 now.
My fingers are going to fall off one day, I swear.
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|I smell B.S. Who sponsored this study? Let's see some details on their methodology.
In any case, I'd bet carpal tunnel syndrome is more directly related to overuse of the mouse than the keyboard.
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|All they're saying is that very few wrist and hand RSI's are actually Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and should be called something else.
My doctor told me this ten years ago when I was first diagnosed with hand and wrist RSI. There's nothing new here.
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|I started typing this the moement this article was released, but my wrists hurt so bad from..er..."typing all day at work"...
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