In today’s modern computer-centric workplace Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is on the rise, especially with younger people who spend a significant portion of their day using technology.
Sam Rabizadeh, P.T., D.P.T., C.H.T.
“I am Sam Rabizadeh, and I am a P.T., D.P.T., and C.H.T. That last acronym stands for Certified Hand Therapist and I can help you either avoid or relieve your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
The simplest explanation is that we’re trying to prevent the median nerve in the wrists from becoming compressed leading to injury, which would lead to possible surgery, or other invasive procedures.
Our focus here will be on what you can and should do as individuals to minimize the impact of our work-related repetitive movements.
We’ve also created this handy, printable PDF guide to help you avoid the long term effects of carpal tunnel syndrome and/or to treat the symptoms you might now be experiencing.”
Here is the simple overview:
Consider learning Voice Typing:
Many computer applications are now enabled with Voice Typing, also known as “voice to text”. If you tried this years ago and found it lacking please give it another chance. Not only has it improved greatly but it will dramatically reduce your typing and keyboarding and therefore lessen the chance of contracting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. (MS Word | Google Docs)
Take frequent breaks:
Set a timer on your phone, desktop or laptop computer and take 2 – 3 breaks an hour or every 20 to 30 minutes. This might SEEM like too much but keep in mind that the breaks are brief and that, not only will your tendons appreciate it but your ability to focus and be productive is improved by breaks as well. That’s a “win, win, win”!
Make sure that you stay hydrated:
We all know that hydration plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy tissues of all kinds, including muscles, tendons, and nerves. Proper hydration can aid in both prevention and healing of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome after it has been diagnosed. Up to 75% of adults in the U.S. are not drinking enough water to meet their daily fluid needs. Also, as we age dehydration becomes more of a problem, not less.
Check your work Ergonomics:
This might be the most challenging aspect of this process and may require the help of others to execute but that makes it no less important:
- Neutral or slightly extended wrist position: your wrist should not be resting on the edge of your desk or keyboard tray unless they are cushioned and supported by a wrist rest.
- The wrists should be slightly below the elbow joint, elbow joint is bent at 90 degrees (forearms would be parallel to the floor) or slightly lower.
- Make certain that your chair is at a height so that your feet can be flat on the floor.
- Computer screen should be directly in front of you or about 20 degrees below eye level
Perform these simple stretches:
We recommend Tendon Glides, Wrist Flexor Stretch, Wrist Extensor Stretch, Median Nerve Glide for Wrist, Median Nerve Glide for Hands, and Wrist Circles.
We’ve prepared this downloadable and printable PDF file for your convenience. Share it with your coworkers and family, we can all benefit from following these preventative measures.
We’re here to help you take control of your health
Southern California Sports Rehabilitation has been helping doctors and patients take control of their health since 1996. We offer physical therapy, aquatic therapy and acupuncture from locations around Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange Counties.
Questions about how we can help you or your patients with carpal tunnel syndrome? Give us a call at (888) 734-2280 or use our handy contact form.
A few notes from Dr. Rabizadeh:
Typically your Medical Doctor would refer you to physical therapy or hand therapy as a first line of defense if you acquire possible carpal tunnel syndrome. It is a noninvasive treatment and could yield great results. If symptoms do not improve by 6 weeks, then your Medical Doctor may provide more testing to confirm the diagnosis and consider more invasive procedures.
The testing could involve EMG/NCS, which could be provided at Precision Medical group; Precision Medical group is affiliated with Southern California sports Rehabilitation. The testing may also include imaging. If symptoms do not improve, they may require more invasive procedures, such as surgery. It is important to get symptoms addressed early to avoid risk of needing more invasive procedures. Sometimes even after more invasive procedures, prognosis may be limited. Early treatment yields the greatest prognosis.
Depending on how severe the symptoms are you may need to wear a wrist splint during the nights only (first line of splinting defense) or at night and during the day. Usually by the time splinting is advised for most of the day and at night, surgery is often considered.
If compression is present for too long, it may lead to motor axon denervation, and the thenar muscles may atrophy. Thenar muscles are at the base of the thumb.
If these muscles stay denervated and compression is not relieved in a timely manner (6 vs 12 months), the muscle could fibrose leading to permanent and irreversible changes. This would lead to weakness of the thumb which is responsible for 50% of the function of the hand.
Patients will drop items frequently due to this problem and its paired with sensory changes (numbness of first 3 fingers). Sometimes they transfer tendons of other muscles via surgery to regain thumb strength to improve functional ability.
Please address the condition early to optimize prognosis.
Our Case Facilitators
Esteban Galvez
George Santos
Melanie Greene
Tagged with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Therapy, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
MAIN OFFICE
1809 E. Dyer Rd. #313
Santa Ana CA 92705
Fax (949) 975-0070
No Referral Needed
MAIN OFFICE
1809 E. Dyer Rd. #313
Santa Ana CA 92705