Search Results for: blog worried about carpal tunnel syndrome

Your Genes and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

A recent study from Harvard Medical School says that your genetics may play a bigger role in carpal tunnel than repetitive motion or too much keyboard time. So what is carpal tunnel syndrome? Your arm has a nerve called the median nerve that runs down the arm and into the hand, controlling some of the sensations to thumb and your first three fingers. At the wrist, the median nerve passes through a space called the carpal tunnel. If the nerve becomes compressed or squeezed in the carpal tunnel, you can experience tingling (like pins-and-needles when a limb falls asleep), pain, … Continue reading →

Worried About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Posted on by

I was recently talking to my brother, a self-confessed tech geek and computer junkie, about keyboards. He said he was using the square brick that comes with Dell computers, and he was sure wrist damage couldn’t be far behind. I did a Google search to see what the experts said. There seemed to be a very diverse set of opinions on the subject, surprisingly. At Mayo Clinic, they believe that “In many cases, the syndrome has no specific cause — in spite of the widespread belief that everyone in the work force is at risk…One clear finding from studies is … Continue reading →

Writing with a Wrist Injury

In case you’re worried — I’m not the one with the wrist injury. Thank goodness! I have a friend who has rheumatoid arthritis AND tendinitis, leaving her at the computer with only one hand for typing. So what happens when you can’t type (or do other hand-centric tasks) but you need to? I’d be up a creek without a paddle if I couldn’t find my way to tippity tap on the keyboard! My friend is struggling with her wrist-related restrictions. The way she sees it, she has a few options: Stay away from the computer and get no work done. … Continue reading →

Physical Therapy: Overview

Physical therapy deals with treating problems with the musculoskeletal system. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, physical therapists are “experts in the science of healing and the art of caring”. From infants to seniors, many people can benefit from physical therapy. The main goal of physical therapy is to promote whole body function. This can include restoring mobility, improving mobility and managing pain. Treatment is designed to give the best possible body function to each individual patient. Physical therapy can help people return to independence after a serious injury or illness. On the healing side, physical therapy is used … Continue reading →

What is Repetitive Stress Injury?

Carpal tunnel syndrome gets a lot of press, but it’s only one of many possible injuries that fall under the heading of repetitive stress injury or RSI. What is an RSI? Any injury caused by overuse or over-stress on a body part. In other words, using the body in a way that the body wasn’t designed for — at least not repeatedly, or for long periods of time. Often, RSI refers to a joint and the muscles, bones, tendons, or bursas that operate the joint. The initial impact of overuse or over-stress may not be noticeable — think about flexing … Continue reading →

The Hazards of Being a Transcriptionist

Posted on by

This blog is part of a series on transcription. If you haven’t read the other blogs in this series, make sure to check out the summary page for a listing of all transcription blogs. Thanks! Although transcriptionists don’t run the same health risks as other professions, there are still some very real health problems that transcriptionists can run into. One is aching and hurting wrists. Many people who type day in and day out end up developing arthritis in their hands and have to have surgery done to repair the damage (my mother just underwent hand surgery for this reason–hi … Continue reading →

Programs to Help You Make the Switch

Posted on by

If you are thinking about switching from Qwerty to Dvorak, there are a couple of things to bear in mind. First of all, the switch probably isn’t going to benefit you a whole lot unless you have a job that has you typing a lot, like computer programming, freelance writing, transcription–jobs like that. If your job is flipping burgers or ringing up customers, you aren’t going to be typing enough to justify the time and agony involved with switching keyboards. This doesn’t mean that you can’t teach your kids the Dvorak layout, however. Even if our generation was too dumb … Continue reading →

Where did the Qwerty Keyboard Come From?

Posted on by

In March, I wrote a blog about carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) but because of time constraints (okay fine, I’ll admit it, I got distracted and forgot! :-P) I didn’t write anything else on the subject. If you missed that blog, I would check it out–it has some very surprising truths in it regarding CTS which I’m willing to bet many people don’t know. Or maybe I’m the only one who didn’t know the true causes of CTS–that’s a very good possibility. Whatever the true causes of CTS, it behooves all of us to take good care of our bodies, and … Continue reading →