What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the compression, or constriction, of the important median nerve traveling through the sensitive carpal tunnel area in your wrist. It is considered a repetitive strain injury (RSI) to the muscles and nerves caused by repetitive tasks, pressure on the wrist, and awkward body positions. It is frequently associated with the repetition of typing, playing a musical instrument or working with tools.

The main symptom of CTS is numbness in the thumb and half of the fingers. You may also experience tingling, burning sensations and a loss of gripping strength. Some people also report pain in the hands and wrists.  The pain will often spread to the arms and shoulders, and there may be swelling in the hand that worsens overnight.

How can you prevent CTS?

CTS is most commonly believed to result from overuse of the muscles in the hands and wrists, and from pressure on the carpal tunnel area caused by poor posture. Here are some important tips for healthy keyboarding skills, to protect you from injury and pain.

• Correct your posture. Good posture is the key to fast, injury-free typing. Start by adjusting your chair for proper support. Adjustable lumbar support can be easily added to any chair, or, in a pinch, try a rolled up towel. Also, make sure you arms and shoulders are relaxed and your wrists are always straight.
• Adjust the position of your keyboard. You keyboard should be slightly lower than height of your elbows, about an inch or two above your lap. It can also relieve write pressure to have the keyboard sloping slightly away from your body. An easy-to-use keyboard tray provides the best flexibility to quickly adjust your keyboard position and angle.
• Always maintain correct hand position. First, your hands should lightly hover over the keys while you are typing. Second, never rest the weight of your hands or arms directly on your wrists. Between keystrokes, you can rest on the ball of your hand, but never put weight directly of the sensitive carpal tunnel area of your wrist. Lastly, keep your hands and fingers curved. A good, ergonomic keyboard encourages and supports this proper hand positions; sample different shapes and sizes to find one that fits you best. These keyboarding techniques can keep you from straining or injuring the muscles and tendons.
• Press the keys lightly. There is no need to pound on the keys. A light touch will lower the work load on your muscle by using as little pressure as possible.
• Never stretch or reach for a key. The proper way press the higher keys, such as the number keys, is to move your entire hand and arm. When your hands are properly floating over the keys, this feels much more natural. Also, remember always use both hands for two-key combos. If you use your Shift key (or Ctrl or Alt) with an additional key, press the Shift key with one hand and the second key with the opposite hand.  By stretching to press higher keys or straining to use one hand on two keys simultaneously adds incredible muscle stress and can cause injury to sensitive tendons.

Carpal tunnel injuries can be very serious and cause significant discomfort. However, it if is recognized early, you can establish simple effective habits reduce pain and reverse any injury.  These small changes in your posture and habits can make a huge impact in your keyboarding health.

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