It's a syndrome characterized by pain, tingling and weakness in the wrist and fingers, usually due to repetitive hand movements. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition often associated with secretaries or older people. But in the age of technology, with desktops, laptops and handheld games, it is a syndrome that is now commonplace in society. To many people it may not seem like a serious problem, but without proper care and precaution it can become a debilitating condition that could require corrective surgery.
Computer programmer Denard Giles, 45, was a long-time sufferer of pain in his wrists and fingers which he attributed to getting older, until he was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome.
"I was one of the many people who thought that carpal tunnel only happened to women. So it was natural that I never imagined for a moment the daily pain I got in my hands was from carpal tunnel. I thought maybe it was due to arthritis or gout since that runs in my family. It was only when I was kept up at night for almost a week due to the pain that I went to see a doctor. I was told it was definitely carpal tunnel." Giles was given a shot to ease the pain. But it took him having surgery for him to take the syndrome seriously.
Two years after the fact, he is now a strong advocate for people adopting the proper posture for typing - whether they are using a typewriter or computer - to lessen their chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Proper posture for keyboard techniques means that your ears should be lined up with the tops of shoulders, and shoulders in line with your hips. For the shoulders, the upper arms should hang relaxed and close to the body. And for the wrists, the hands should be in straight lines with lower arms.
When using your keyboard, your fingers should be relaxed while typing and using a mouse. You should use a soft touch on the keyboard instead of pounding keys with unnecessary force. The mouse should be grasped gently. Your fingers and hands should be relaxed between bursts of typing or using a flat, straight wrist posture. You should also not rest your elbows on hard surfaces.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a lot more common due to the availability and everyday use of the computers and handheld electronic devices, which encourage the repetitive movement of your hands for hours on end, according to Dr. Patrick Whitfield, a family medicine practitioner operating out of the Oxford Medical Center.
"Contrary to belief, carpal tunnel syndrome is no longer confined to clerical workers or older women," said Dr. Whitfield. "It is essentially a pinching of the median nerve which runs up the forearm and enters a small space near the surface of the wrist that it passes through to connect to the first three fingers of your hand. It controls the movement or sensations in your index, middle and ring fingers and if for any reason the tendons found here or the median nerve gets compressed then you get the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Common symptoms include a pain in the wrists, pinching in the centers of the hands, tingling and pain in the fingers and even loss of grip and strength in the hands. These indicators may manifest together or build up over time depending on the severity of the condition."
As with most illnesses there are levels of severity to carpal tunnel syndrome. This is usually gauged by the level of discomfort or mobility of the affected hand according to the doctor. He says some people may be able to still function with their condition and rest when it starts to affect them. For others he said it can be more debilitating and a splint or wrist support may be needed to keep the hand in a neutral position so the tunnel doesn't pinch. For patients he says the pain can be even more intense which means they may not be able to function at all because the pain disturbs sleep at night and flexing for any length of time may hurt continuously.
The doctor says carpal tunnel syndrome is now affecting younger people as well, and is no longer just an older person's disease.
"I am seeing more cases where it is occurring in the younger generation as well," says the family physician. "A number of years ago it was common to see people in their 40s and 50s with this condition but now there has been a shift where people in their 30s and 20s are being diagnosed with it as well. It still occurs more commonly in women due to their bodies' tendency to retain water whether in pregnancy, menopause, a certain point in their menstrual cycle or obesity, which also affects this syndrome. But this does not mean that men are exempt because they can get it too."
While many children are also joining the masses of people using computers for hours on end, the doctor is not as concerned about them due to their resilience at a young age, but he does advise parents to make it a point to teach their youngsters the right posture to use when using one of these devices for long periods of time.
Overall, while Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is often not life-threatening, Dr. Whitfield says it is common enough that many people can get symptoms from time-to-time. They can try to ease the discomfort at home before seeking medical assistance. If you have tingling in your fingers or feel a pinching he advises that you stop what you are doing and give the hand a rest. Using an ice pack for an hour can also prove to be a good remedy to ease the pain, he says. Dr. Whitfield says whenever the pain occurs, it is also important to make a note of what motion or action is causing the discomfort and aim not to do it, or lessen the amount of time spent doing it so that the pain does not persist.
"You can lessen minor discomfort you have if you give your hands a rest for 10 to 15 minutes every hour," says the doctor. "But the problem is that the condition is likely to still develop due to continuing these repetitive practices for years or even mere months. If you know your job requires you to use a computer all day or some other repetitive movement it is not advised to go home and spend another four to five hours doing something similar."
When home remedies don't work, or have to be used too frequently then he says medical treatment should be sought.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian