As more people work from home, there will inevitably be a rise in make-shift offices. Maybe a chair is pulled from the living room, or the laptop is placed on a book for a better Zoom call.
And with those moves, many people might think they need expensive ergonomic chairs, desks and other ergonomic devices that claim to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. My recommendation: save your money.
As an orthopedic surgeon and founder of the country’s first telehealth orthopedic center, OrthoNOW, I hear from a lot of patients who wrongly believe they got Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from their computer. Nothing is further from the truth.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or CTS is not caused by your laptop, computer or chair. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or CTS, is more than likely caused by your sex. That’s right.
If you are feeling true pain in the wrist and/or hand, it’s more likely a metabolic or hormonal related-issue that is quite easy to treat. CTS is especially common in perimenopausal women, and women in their third trimester of pregnancy. Patients with diabetes and hypothyroid conditions are also more likely to get CTS.
Metabolic conditions lead to compression of the median nerve within a tight, carpal tunnel, in the palmar side of the wrist. This is because the membrane (tenosynovium) around the tendons that bend the fingers gets thickened due to chemical factors that retain fluid (as seen in pregnancy etc). The connective tissue in that tendon membrane can also become altered due to changes in blood sugar or alterations in certain hormones as seen in thyroid conditions and others.
Do Cortisone Injections Help with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
A cortisone injection can be helpful with CTS but it is temporary. That’s because the underlying condition of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is still there. A cortisone injection is like letting air out of the tires of a truck stuck in a street tunnel. It might help get the big truck out of the tunnel, but the vehicle ultimately needs to find a larger tunnel.
Hand surgeons easily create that larger tunnel in the wrist, whether an open surgery, or an endoscopic procedure. Here’s a video of how that works.
Maximum Protection from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
People who are experiencing hand pain, numbness or fatigue should be seen by an appropriate specialist. Medical knowledge has increased exponentially over the last 5 years, so if you are experiencing pain in your hand, see a hand specialist. A primary care or occupational health physician may know as much about the wrist just like a hand surgeon might not know much about the spine, even though we are all orthopedic surgeons. There are many subspecialist orthopedists in my medical profession.
And if you’re working from home, ensure your workstation is ergonomically designed. Keyword, designed. This means your desk, or other areas, are comfortable with the monitor, keyboard and mouse in the correct position as per occupational therapist (OT) guidelines.
The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) provides some material on this topic for consumers and employers, but many times a local hand specialist might be willing to give an informative review to the workplace.
