Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and how it affects Techies and Gamers

It’s been known to be a habit of techies and gamers to spend long hours on their devices and do so without checking up on their health which shouldn’t be so because a lot of conditions show symptoms that we would just dismiss as tiredness until their chronic stage. Therefore, we should always check our health status periodically, try incorporating it this new year, and make it a new habit.

Sometimes you get that numbness or tingling feeling in your hands and arm, or experience weakness, clumsiness, or pain in your hands and wrists at night. These are symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and without proper attention to it can result in severe pain and injury which may need surgery.

As techies and gamers, we tend to spend long hours with our hands and wrists positioned in a certain way for long hours and are most of the time exposed to vibrations in these positions which causes compression on our median nerve which leads to loss of sensation, weakness, loss of control and atrophy of the hands.

There are two phases of this injury; the acute stage and the chronic stage. The acute is less intense and less visible, all the symptoms are seen but it demands more acute decompression to prevent permanent residual damage to the hand.

If unattended to until its chronic stage, full recovery may not be attainable. At this stage, loss of sensation and loss of movement of the hands is noted and atrophy of the muscles is seen, surgical decompression at this stage may give partial relief, but total recovery of the hand is doubtful. A number of factors have been associated with carpal tunnel syndrome and they include:

• Anatomic factors: A wrist fracture or dislocation, or arthritis.
• Sex: Carpal tunnel syndrome is generally more common in women.
• Nerve-damaging conditions: Chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, increase your risk of nerve damage, including damage to your median nerve causing carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Inflammatory conditions
• Obesity
• Body fluid changes: Fluid retention may increase the pressure within your carpal tunnel, irritating the median nerve, common during pregnancy and menopause. These symptoms go away on their own after pregnancy
• Workplace factors: Working with vibrating tools or on an assembly line that requires prolonged or repetitive flexing of the wrist may create harmful pressure on the median nerve or worsen existing nerve damage, especially if the work is done in a cold environment. This is where we fall in, we work in air-conditioned environments and spend long hours in these positions. Some evidence suggests that it is mouse use and not the use of a keyboard, that may be the problem. However, there has not been enough quality and consistent evidence to support extensive computer use as a risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome, although it may cause a different form of hand pain too.

However, the scientific evidence is conflicting and these factors haven't been established as direct causes of carpal tunnel syndrome.

There are no precisely effective strategies to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, but you can minimize the amount of stress exerted on your hands and wrists with these methods and reduce your risk of having carpal tunnel syndrome:

• Reduce force and relax grip: Hit the keys softly(if not for yourself, pity your laptop nau). For prolonged handwriting, use a big pen with an oversized, soft grip adapter and free-flowing ink(those swag pens you got are not just for your pencil-holding mug).
• Take short, frequent breaks: Stretch and bend hands and wrists gently periodically. Alternate tasks when possible. This is especially important if you use equipment that vibrates or that requires you to exert a great amount of force(our dear gamers, please). Even a few minutes each hour can make a difference(remember, COD and Fortnite won’t matter in the afterlife).
• Watch form: Avoid bending your wrist all the way up or down. A relaxed middle position is best. Keep your keyboard at elbow height or slightly lower(that table looks nice, don’t just buy it, check your height!).
• Improve posture: Incorrect posture rolls your shoulders forward, shortening your neck and shoulder muscles and compressing nerves in your neck. This can affect your wrists, fingers, and hands, and can cause neck pain.
• Change your computer mouse: Make sure that your computer mouse is comfortable and doesn't strain your wrist(get an ergo-mouse or something).
• Keep your hands warm: You're more likely to develop hand pain and stiffness if you work in a cold environment. If you can't control the temperature at work, put on fingerless gloves that keep your hands and wrists warm(not every time, AC, AC, AC).