I was recently talking to my brother, a self-confessed tech geek and computer junkie, about keyboards. He said he was using the square brick that comes with Dell computers, and he was sure wrist damage couldn’t be far behind.
I did a Google search to see what the experts said. There seemed to be a very diverse set of opinions on the subject, surprisingly. At Mayo Clinic, they believe that “In many cases, the syndrome has no specific cause — in spite of the widespread belief that everyone in the work force is at risk…One clear finding from studies is that frequent computer use doesn’t cause carpal tunnel syndrome, though it may worsen your symptoms. Several studies have found no relationship between computer use of up to seven hours a day and risk of carpal tunnel syndrome.”
This doesn’t keep my brother in the clear, nor me, because we’re both on the computer for more than seven hours a day. So I kept searching. Medline Plus (a very well-respected medical site) published a news article last month stating, “Go ahead, type the night away. New research has found that genetics, rather than repetitive hand use, is responsible for carpal tunnel syndrome.
“‘This study has shown that there really is a genetic predisposition to carpal tunnel,’ said Dr. Roy G. Kulick…’There has never really been strong scientific, controlled studies showing that there is an association between repetitive stress and carpal tunnel.'”
Even better. This article didn’t give a time limit on the amount of time to be on the computer, so I guess my brother and I are in the clear. I was feeling pretty good about things, until I read this article by the American Physical Therapy Association, which said, “With the growing numbers of people using computers and keyboards…carpal tunnel syndrome is of real concern to both employers and the health care professions…CTS has surfaced among meat packers, assembly line workers, jackhammer operators, and employees who spend hours working at a computer or typewriter.”
Hmmm…This article said exactly the opposite of the first two. Now what? I keep looking online, of course! I found this page from the Department of Labor with statistics on what is causing absences from work. Number one cause? Repetitive motion (such as typing.) Other causes were things like falling, transportation accidents, fires, etc. Typing is causing more work absences than fires and accidents? It’s amazing what some finger movements will do to your body.
All in all, it’s a draw. Even when sticking to well-known and respected websites, I cannot find a consensus on whether we ought to be worried about carpal tunnel syndrome or not. My take on it: It’s better to be safe than sorry. Through the next several blogs, I will be covering different keyboards to different keyboard set-ups (yes, there is more than just the Qwerty keyboard we all use) to different accessories to use while typing, such as gloves. If you are starting to experience wrist and hand pain, you may be part of the group that is genetically predisposed to CTS, or perhaps those studies are wrong, and you’ve simply been typing too much. Either way, whether you’re already experiencing hand pain or you’re worried about developing hand pain, these upcoming blogs should be of help to you.