Prevent Carpal Tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome refers to a condition which causes numbness, pain and tingling within the fingers and hands. It happens whenever the median nerve, which runs from hand to forearm, gets squeezed or pressed around the wrist. This nerve controls the fingers’ and palm sensations, as well as the impulses of small hand muscle groups which allow movement. The actual carpal tunnel is a narrow and rigid channel of bones and ligaments that lies at the hand’s base, housing the majority of tendons and the median nerve.
People get carpal tunnel syndrome whenever this channel of bone and ligament thickens while the tunnel narrows. This could happen because of the inflamed tendons swelling and median nerve squeezing, causing numbness, pain, tingling and weakness within the wrist, hand and arm. This kind of condition is widely known as entrapment neuropathy and could happen within any body part where the peripheral nerves are either compressed or traumatized. Out of all the entrapment neuropathies, this syndrome happens to be the most popular and most common one.
Usually, there isn’t just a single factor which contributes to this syndrome. Oftentimes, symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome result from congenital predisposition. This means that carpal tunnels happen to be smaller within some people compared to others. Injury or trauma could also be a cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. A fracture or sprain could cause swelling that compresses the median nerve. Work stress, rheumatoid arthritis, wrist joint problems, hypothyroidism, fluid retention, frequent vibrating tools and tumors or cysts within the carpal tunnel could all be more causes of carpal tunnel syndrome. But sometimes, no identifiable causes can be found that you could use to prevent carpal tunnel.
Several steps exist that you could take to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, most of all while you work. Ideally, you need to incorporate all of these measures to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome to give you better chances in preventing it.
1. Exercise
Stretching could help prevent carpal tunnel since it increases circulation to the particular area that can keep ligaments and tendons from swelling up.
2. Frequent Breaks
If you take frequent breaks, your body will get a break. This will break up the overall activity and keep ligaments and tendons from getting inflamed.
3. Posture
Keeping good posture, as well as the right wrist position, could reduce wrist pressure and stop swelling and inflammation.
4. Support
By wearing splints, your wrists will stay straight and in the right position.
5. Keeping Warm
Wear gloves that are fingerless to keep your hands flexible and warm, producing optimum wrist and hand circulation.
Modifications for the Workplace:
- You can redesign your tool handles and tools to keep your wrist in more natural positions.
- You can redesign tasks and workstations to become more conducive to your wrist’s natural positioning.
- You can rotate tasks and jobs among workers to reduce repetition in activities and give them breaks.
- You could develop programs which adapt the overall conditions of a working environment, along with the needed tasks for the workers’ abilities.
No conclusive evidence truly exists that a lot of these modifications, most of all within the workplace, will actually work to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. But a lot of experts do believe that such small steps could make a huge difference.