Tips for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome & Pregnancy
Last time, I posted some tips for reducing pain and injury in your wrists, primarily at work. As a reminder Carpal Tunnel Syndrome {CTS} is when you feel pain in your hand and/or wrist which can extend into the forearm and shoulder. This pain is caused by the compression of the median nerve in the wrist.Interestingly, after that post, I read an article about Carpal Tunnel pain for pregnant women {Your Pregnancy, Week by Week.}. Being pregnant myself and also obviously interested in ergonomics, I was intrigued to find that pregnant women has 1 in 4 chance of suffering from the typical Carpal Tunnel Syndrome symptoms during pregnancy: numbness, tingling or burning of the inner half of one or both hands, with a numb or useless feeling in fingers. Usually, both hands are subject to the pain. The thought is that water retention and swelling in the same areas contribute to the high rate of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome during pregnancy.
Fortunately, treatment is rarely required, as these symptoms should subside after delivery when the body quits retaining water and swelling. However, pain is pain, and a pregnant woman has enough to deal with without adding CTS to the list. Thus, here is a reminder of what to do to alleviate hand and wrist pain while still using your computer and cell phone. I will highlight that wearing a wrist splint is even more important to note for pregnant women- we have the nasty habit of sleeping in strange positions, so protecting the vulnerable wrist is even more essential than ever.
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Don't worry- it's just for night-time use!
Correct your posture. You may not realize that there is proper and improper hand and wrist positioning. Essentially, DON’T bend or cock your wrists. DO everything you can to avoid cocking or bending of your wrists. If you feel pain as you are typing, texting, or mousing, stop what you are doing and re-position yourself.
- Try ergonomic products. In particular, an ergonomic keyboard is designed to better your hands, while an ergonomic mouse makes mousing more natural and less straining for your wrists. Regardless of what keyboard and mouse you’re using, be sure to keep them side-by-side and on the same surface to reduce movement and therefore injury. So, lastly, a keyboard tray will store both and at a lower spot so your arms, wrists, and hands can work more comfortably.
- Wear a wrist splint. If you’re already experiencing wrist pain, one of the trouble spots is night time. So often, we flex our wrists and sleep with them in quite odd positions, never even aware of it. Thus, wearing a wrist splint at night time can protect you from doing more harm.
Using an ergonomic keyboard and ergonomic mouse at work and wearing a wrist splint at night can greatly reduce wrist pain and injury as you finish out your pregnancy.