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Does Computer Use Actually Cause Carpal Tunnel?
BoldAC writes "A geek physician has reviewed the medical literature that explores if a relationship exists between computer use and carpal tunnel syndrome. 'Typing at the keyboard or using the mouse for hours and hours upon end just seems like it has to be horrible for your joints, right?' His conclusions certainly seem to contradict the thinking of many: 'The current research shows that computer use has very little role in causing carpal tunnel syndrome.' It even seems that both Harvard and the Journal of the American Medical Association agree with his conclusions."
Does this mean Emacs Pinky is just evil VI propaganda?
I'd post a longer reply, but my hands hurt.
Baloney, of course computer use causes carpal tunnel....well, certain types of computer use anyways....
If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
It is because most computer users (geeks) do not have girlfriends. So they hurt their wrist looking at porn...well the wrist are busy doing other stuff.
I smoked pot once. But I DID NOT inhale. Will you hire me?
I have CTS and am going for my op early next month to fix it. I'm 33 now and have used computers since the ZX81.
;o)
My GP insists that my CTS has nothing to do with my years of computer use, and that in fact it will be good post-op physio.
Still, I'm having one hand done at a time so that I can still manage one handed browsing.
Now if they can just definitively show that masturbation does not cause blindness, geeks will finally be able to live worry-free.
Ceci n'est pas une sig.
I'm older than any of you guys and I spend way too much time in front of a computer (ask my wife!). My hands are just fine, thank you. I got rid of the mouse a long time ago; now I use a trackpad. I also take breaks to go to a window and look off at something on the horizon, it helps prevent the seemingly ubiquitous nearsightedness (literally, not figuratively) among geeks.
Because you were naturally predisposed to an RSI, and and ergonomic keyboard makes things easier on your wrists once they have been inflammed by an RSI. An ergonomic keyboard is not necessary for all people, as not all people are predisposed to RSI, and that's why you have the code monkeys who sit at their computer for hours, and don't develop any RSI at all.
The only reason why CTS and RSIs appear to be more common in computer users is because we're more likely to aggrevate the situation. It's not that we have more CTS and RSIs, it's because the effect is significantly more pronounced.
WARNING! This girl exceeds the MAXIMUM SAFE standards established by the FDA for BRATTINESS
This story is nothing new. What's really needed is a clarification of terms.
I have RSI (Repetitive Stress Injuries) and my carpal tunnel is just fine. It's the other nerves, tendons, and muscles of my hands which ache and cause the severe pain. If you try and explain this to people they just say 'Carpal Tunnel Syndrome' unless they're a doctor. Computer use DOES cause RSI which is the real problem, and a really painful and dangerous thing. Other tasks, sewing for instance, can also cause RSI. The phenomenon is not new.
How the carpal tunnel got so famous I don't know, but the term has stuck.
Photos.
The latest issues of CR (I'm a subscriber) listed carpel tunnel as one of the most over-diagnosed health problems. Something about a for-profit healthcare industry....just sits weird with me. I wonder how many times it would be diagnosed at all if they couldn't get the insurance companies to pony up the dough.
I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
As far as the aches and pains of computer use my experience is such:
1) 11 hours straight of Everquest - no pain from mouse or keyboard
2) 6 hours of Quake (back in the day) - no pain from mouse or keyboard
3) 20 minutes of mouse use at odd angle (but not so odd as to say other people wouldn't use a mouse like this) - back of hand starting hurting
4) Couple days of keyboard and mouse use on bad desk setup (keyboard high, forearms rest on edge of desk, etc) - shoulder and elbow pain.
I know what my body does and doesn't like. Relaxed shoulders, no reaching for the mouse, etc.
Oh Lordy, the number of posts so far NOT involving spankin' duh monkey can be counted on one hand. Which is GOOD because my other hand is entirely busy at the moment.
I'm reasonably convinced that poor posture and hand position while *driving* contributes more tho CTS and/or RSI than typing does.
I think it's a serious confounding variable, that most office workers have those two things in common: significant time spent driving a car, and typing on computer keyboards.
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Hush. You're ruining it for the lawyers. How do you expect lawyers to cash in? People are in pain and the lawyers haven't fully exploited the moneymaking opportunity yet! Computer companies have deep, deep pockets, you know.
Wait until the companies have settled up and gone bankrupt. Then let it slip quietly that the whole thing wasn't true -- just like they did with the silicone gel breast-implant cases. Those were found to be harmless after the lawyers got paid.
About 6 years ago, I had CTS. I had just about the worst posture, hand position and everything else you could possibly imagine. And, as a programmer who spends at least 40 hours a week in front of a computer, it was starting to catch up with me. However, around that time, a friend of mine invited me to come rock climbing with him. I liked it so much that I started going to a local gym around 2-3 times a week. And a funny thing started happening...my CTS started to go away. About 3 months into my climbing habit (yes...it's an addiction), I was free of CTS pains entirely. I still have just about the worst ergonomics you could imagine, yet I have zero pain.
What I believe is going on is that CTS/RSI pain is not caused by doing one thing too often or putting your body in one position too often. Instead, it's caused by not doing other things often enough or putting your body in other positions often enough. I don't have any proof of that except for my own personal experience and the experiences of others that I've told, but those seem to indicate that bad posture/ergonomics can be counteracted by regular exercise of the affected area.
"Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos!"
I call upon them to Ctrl-Shift-Underscore everything they have said about Emacs!
... the real cause are the millions of pr0n sites users visit while using their PC. Thats only true if one hand is effected as in one-hand-typing. If both hands have it then it means that user is actually doing real work. (unless they have blog which is another form of masturbation) See my blog for further details.Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
Unlike smoking, where lung cancer susceptability is likely in the high 90's of precentile, CTS susceptability is very low. Most people will not get CTS no matter how much they use a computer, whereas most people will get lung cancer from smoking.
The difference is in the likelihood rate, even though both of them are fairly equally the same thing. (Triggering a susceptability.)
WARNING! This girl exceeds the MAXIMUM SAFE standards established by the FDA for BRATTINESS
I find that the CTS is actually worse in my dominant arm. I believe it is at least in part due to mouse use, because I find that when it flares up, it's far more painful to use a mouse than it is for me to type.
FWIW, I found that switching the mouse to the left hand for a month and then alternating every couple of weeks made all my arm pain go away. It takes a day or two to get used to using the mouse in the off-hand, but was well worth it for me.
rage, rage against the dying of the light