Long term prevention of carpal tunnel?

[SpookyPistolero]

Howdy folks-

I unfortunately have to spend a lot of time on my laptop. I have it at school to take notes, and then I have to be on it all night typing and studying (not to mention my 16 hours a day of BF ). I'm already starting to feel it in my right arm a lot, it will feel quite stiff, achy, have temp changes, etc. Plus, carpal tunnel is a common ailment to people in the field I am entering.

Anyone here deal with it? Is there much you have done prophylactically to prevent it from being debilitating? I don't want to end up being 40 and unable to open a soda or something.

The first thing that comes to mind is getting a right hand wrist brace, at least for when I'm home, to decrease pressure on my wrist.

I don't normally lay my wrists on the corner of the desk/keyboard, but ya know..

Thanks for any thoughts!!

 

[T.K.C.]

Carpal Tunnel is in your WRIST.

I know a PA who did a study on Carpal Tunnel, and swears by taking vitamin B6. He stated that is how HE got rid of his own Carpal Tunnel.

I believe he started out taking 400 mgs for 2 weeks, then took 200 mgs after that, continuously.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

Yeah I know, I'm just having some upstream effects too. The main problem is still the wrist though.

I'll look into the B6, thanks for the tip. :thumbup:

 

[Bob W]

Long-term typing on a laptop keyboard sucks - many are sub-sized, nearly all have poor tactile feedback (ie "clickiness"), and few are comfortably built into the case. So you might invest in a USB keyboard that's more ergonomic and comfortable. It won't be convenient for lugging around to classes, but you can use it at night easily.

In fact, the only way I'd use a laptop at home would be through a "port replicator" or "docking station" outfitted with a real mouse, keyboard, monitor, and speakers. Leave the docking station set up semi-permanent in your home-office, and slip the laptop out when you need to go mobile.

Not a complete answer to your carpal tunnel question, but maybe something to think about.

 

[Absintheur]

B-6 is a good way to deal with it. I will be getting operated on probably in the next few months because of this, but the B-6 is helping in the meantime. I think taken before it becomes a problem would be very beneficial.

 

[gazz98]

Recently laid off in the IT field, so I did type a lot.

Take frequent breaks. Every 20 mins, get up, walk around a few steps, flex and massage the wrists.

Consider getting fingerless gloves. Yep, mall ninja is IN! Really, it helps keep the fingers/hand warm which will help.

 

[annr]

Long-term typing on a laptop keyboard sucks - many are sub-sized, nearly all have poor tactile feedback (ie "clickiness"), and few are comfortably built into the case. So you might invest in a USB keyboard that's more ergonomic and comfortable. It won't be convenient for lugging around to classes, but you can use it at night easily.

This was going to be my first suggestion: use a decent stand alone keyboard and not the one built onto the laptop...but Bob W covered that one better than I.

The one thing that I would add to Bob’s list is the suggestion that you have your eyes checked. If there is any tension from the wrong prescription or your eyes don’t converge properly you will put strain on your muscles that transmit to the neck, hands and throughout the body.

Other than that I'm a professional musician and my career has been built on avoiding carpel tunnel, tendonitis and the like. This is not medical advice!!! As a performer I can say that I have had best results with keeping my bio-mechanics, technique, posture, movement on the front of my brain at all times. Stretch, move around, move from the core, those kinds of things. When I get in a jam I go to a chiropractor or acupuncturist; MDs have not been so useful except to rule out a problem. I’m not one to adopt splints; for me it is better to get in shape, stay in shape, use my body well, even if that means RESTING/STOPPING/FIGURING OUT WHAT I'M DOING WRONG/OR WHAT CHANGED when something hurts.

At this link there are a few things that have kept me out of trouble or gotten me back on track. http://www.squidoo.com/oboeandhealth Most of these are things one can do for oneself. I made this page for my students. There many things that I personally have tried, use and would say have been worthwhile and are accepted in my field.

You will see Pete Egoscue’s Painfree at Your PC; All of his books are good.

The Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais Methods are used by musicians, actors and even the Israeli army I am told for proper bio-mechanics and use of the self.

DellaGrotte's DVDs are great

The Esmonde Technique is also great:
http://www.classicalstretch.com/videos.htm

I like 2007 TV Series (SEASON 4) which I saw on PBS. Looks like she has some new ones.

Good luck! (and I've taken B6 for years!)

 

[falnovice]

Take frequent breaks. Every 20 mins, get up, walk around a few steps, flex and massage the wrists.

A Big +1. Do a search for exercises for CT as well as physical therapy for those with CT. There are a ton of flexing exercises you can do, and you SHOULD do several different types through-out the day.

You are already ahead of the game by being preventative.
I am heading back for more surgery because I wasn't.

 

[C.S. Graves]

Not sure if I've ever had true carpal tunnel, but I've had pain in the wrists/hands years ago. If it got really bad, I'd wrap a puttee around the affected wrist like a bandage, tight enough to provide support without reducing circulation. This kept the wrist a little more straight and help lessen inflammation. Also, learning to use your off hand for mouse/tablet/trackball duty can be a help for extended computing. Once ambidextrous enough to work comfortably with either hand, the extra use of pointing and clicking can be swtiched between either hand.

I use a cheap Wacom tablet at home with my left hand (though I'm right handed). I find tablets a little less strain on the wrists because the motion requires less bending and awkward positioning of the hand and its joints.

 

[zenheretic]

A lot of good advice in this thread. Ergonomics, breaks, and exercises are your best bet.

If your keyboard forces your arms into some sort "Z" configuration like in this picture, you are dooming yourself to carp...
Think of your finger to your wrist as the claw, wrist to elbow the second joint and elbow to shoulder the third...

Googling offers mountains of exercises
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=carpal tunnel exercises&safe=on&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

But your best bet is prevention by ergonomics

 

[annr]

A few more words on the subject:

Chairs: IMO this is one of the key elements to good posture. I like a flat bottom, with a straight back. You should see musicians fight over chairs; some bring their own chair to a job. If you cannot sit well everything is screwed up. In the Alexander Technique one can spend a year or longer learning/perfecting how to get in and out of a chair using only gravity and bio-mechanics. Watch a great actor glide forward and up out of a chair. If you get serious about your posture, I bet that you will get picky about your chair.

If you look at the bottom drawing posted above you will note that the seat angles backward. I have never been able to sit in a chair with a backward tiled seat and keep my pelvis and femur at a 90deg angle. I wonder if the guy in the drawing could either if he were a real person. Try it. Maybe it works for you? The guy in the top drawing has a flat seat, he just isn't sitting up straight and probably needs to adjust his chair and the heights of his units.

“Ergonomic”: a term given to all manner of products. This is about as accurate as “light’ or ‘low-sodium”, compared to what? This label can sell all kinds of terrible products that induce WORSE bio-mechanics, crutches for poor use of the body.

Posture: I have never seen more bad posture than in the last 10 years. Seems everyone slouches, makes a “C” with their spine. My students with the best posture tend to be athletic and older believe it or not. I see people in their teens and twenties who are doomed to bad problems.

Computer work stations: I spent 6 months trying tables, keyboard trays, mouses and keyboards before I found a very unorthodox combination that fits my needs. It seemed necessary to purchase the components separately to get parts that all adjusted in height and angle as the case may be.

Angles:

A few years ago I suffered a major trauma to my right shoulder and worked with an occupational therapist, a woman who serviced neurological impairment, musicians injuries, and office workers and even KIDS! Boston is known for its fine level of medical care and she worked at the best of the best hospitals and clinics. She made a home visit. She would not agree with the angles in the 'correct' drawing: with either the angle of the elbow or the wrist. I know that this is the standard line on angles. Using her advice I found much better, pain-free angles. If something feels wrong try something else.

Movement: comes from/through the core, not the upper body. The core is supported by strong legs with aligned toes, feet, ankles, knees. IWO it starts from the bottom up, not just the top down. The hand is the termination of movement transmitted/supported from below. "Don't let your fingers sue you for non-support."

Most problems have solutions.