After four research papers and 10 Blackboard quizzes in a week and a half, the keyboard becomes the dreaded enemy for many college students. But excessive keyboarding can be a contributing factor to carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is swelling of the median nerve in the wrist. This nerve controls the sensory and motor functions of the hands. Keyboarding is considered to be a repetitive stress activity, which along with physical injuries, can cause carpal tunnel.

The Utah State Office of Education keyboarding program encourages good keyboarding skills among students in grades K through 12, such as taking frequent breaks, moving with even motions and keeping hands and fingers warm. Teachers are required to inform students that poor keyboarding skills can lead to carpal tunnel, although it’s not the dominant cause.

“What we think we do best is not to promote it [carpal tunnel syndrome], by teaching good technique and keyboarding skills,” said Nadine Bunnell, the K-12 keyboarding specialist for the Utah State Office of Education.

Although despite educational attempts to prevent the syndrome, Dr. Curtis Wright, a chiropractor for the Mountain Chiropractic Center in Provo, said he sees six to seven patients a month who have symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and most are keyboarding related. He said when someone is typing, good technique is important; otherwise, possible repetitive trauma from keyboarding can lead to swelling and overuse of the tissues in the hand.

“You don’t get carpal tunnel over night, you earn it over time,” Wright said.

Symptoms of the syndrome include numbness and tingling in the hands, which can be prevented if students and employees understand how to combat the problem.

Using ergonomics involves improving the workplace by making alterations such as having an office chair with arms that are level with the desk, sitting upright and close to the desk and having the computer monitor directly in front of a worker.

Wright said workers should do wrist, hand, neck and upper back exercises on the job every 15 to 30 minutes of each hour when heavy keyboarding is done. Doing these exercises can help prevent surgery to fix carpal tunnel problems.

“Prevention is always better than waiting until it has become a problem,” Wright said.

Tim Villnave, a liability control specialist for the division of risk management for the state of Utah, provides training programs for state agencies that discuss prevention techniques for carpal tunnel.

“We’re not plants, we are not made to be stuck in the ground and not move, we are made to move around,” Villnave said. “We see the most problems where people are in one position for long periods of time.”

Although research shows a moderate correlation between keyboarding and instances of carpal tunnel, from the perspective of worker’s compensation insurance companies, keyboarding is not considered to be a cause of carpal tunnel, Villnave said. However, regardless of the causes, it’s still a definite problem in the United States.

“It is a large issue, it is one of the more popular upper extremity surgeries in the country,” said Gordon Hines, a certified hand therapist at the Utah Valley Hand Clinic in Provo.

Andrea Sneed, administrative assistant for BYU’s department of economics, said her mom and two of her brothers had surgery for carpal tunnel. She said she was experiencing symptoms of carpal tunnel, but after attending a campus seminar about ergonomics she made necessary changes to her workspace, including placing her keyboard and office chair at 90-degree angles. Since making the changes, her symptoms have disappeared.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The following exercises can help prevent and heal carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress injuries:

1 - Place the right palm on the wall and spread fingers equally. Extend the elbow and press the palm fully into the wall. Wait a few breaths and then turn head to the left, bringing the tip of the right shoulder blade in towards the front of the body. Hold and breathe.

2- Practice sitting with an upright torso, the sides of the torso extending and the head resting comfortably on the neck. Bring the hands down on the seat of the chair and roll shoulders back, bringing the shoulder blades into the back.

3- Open the chest by interlocking the fingers behind the back with palms facing the torso. Roll the shoulders back, but keep the ribs from poking forward. Stretch the elbows and arms on the exhale and hold it for a few breaths. On the exhale, bend the elbows and bring the wrists to the right side of the waist, gently pressing the right elbow towards the left. Release and do the other side, then repeat still again with the fingers interlocked with the opposite thumb on top.

Source: Utah State Office of Education’s.



Copyright Brigham Young University 15 Apr 2005