Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common complaint, with symptoms ranging from subtle numbness to extreme pain. Disability in the hand/wrist can force a change in a worker’s vocation. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the compression of the median nerve as it travels through the carpal tunnel at the wrist. This can result from repetitive motions in the wrist, physical injury, and/or conditions like inflammatory arthritis, diabetes, pregnancy, and more. Particularly, anything that reduces the tunnel’s size can result in median nerve compression and hence, carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal Tunnel Research
Researchers have found that industrial jobs that require repetitive, forceful work increase the risk for CTS. This includes jobs that involve heavy tools. Although, evidence isn’t as clear regarding jobs that involve repetitive motions with limited force, such as typing on a keyboard.
In a Danish study, researchers monitored the wrist health of 5,600 technical assistants. Computer keyboard use may not be a likely cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. The study did find that 11% of the workers experienced tingling or numbness in one or both hands. Only 5% seem to have begun CTS based on their overall description of symptoms. This is similar to what you see in the general population. The study did find that using a mouse for twenty or more hours per week increases the risk for CTS.
However, that is not to say that working at a computer all day does not cause pain or strain in the hand/s, wrist/s, forearm/s, shoulder/s, or neck. As mentioned above, over half of the workers who experienced symptoms like tingling or numbness in the hands did not meet the criteria for CTS.
Conclusion
Dysfunction anywhere along the course of the median nerve can place pressure on the nerve and result in symptoms of CTS. Chiropractors are trained to evaluate and treat the whole person in order to identify problems that either mimic or contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome. In many cases, a patient may not experience lasting results unless problems elsewhere in the neck, shoulder, elbow, or lower arm are also addressed.
