RE: No more carpal tunnel for typists?

[Kim Roper <kim -dot- roper -at- pixelink -dot- com>]

Geoff Hart wrote:

> There are many more potential problems than just carpal 
> tunnel; "repetitive
> stress injuries" of many sorts existed long before there were 
> keyboards and
> computers. Anyone remember "tennis elbow"? "Jogger's knee"? 
> Etc. etc. Any
> muscle or joint can be used improperly or overused, leading 
> to problems. In
> fact, "overuse injury" is probably a more accessible term for 
> most people
> because it speaks more directly to the source of the 
> problem--if you're
> doing anything too much, particularly if you're doing it wrong, you'll
> suffer for it.

Some people are physiologically inclined to such disorders, and without
careful ergonomics, the workplace exacerbates rather than causes the
problems.  

My desk height and mouse position can exacerbate the chronic tendonitis
problems I have in both wrists and my right shoulder.  The wrist problems
were diagnosed over ten years ago by a plastic surgeon, who was asked by my
GP to look at them for related reasons.  The surgeon determined that surgery
for the other problems would have an extremely limited chance of success
(25%), and oh, by the way, I should expect lifelong tendonitis and the onset
of arthritis in my wrists because they aren't attached particularly tightly
to my hands.  As it is, I don't have a full range of motion in my right
wrist.  (The shoulder is a different issue, caused by a specific injury.)

(There are plenty of people that could testify to having seen me wearing
tensor bandages sometime in the past 25 years, so there is no point in
trying to blame the original problem on workplace issues.  Again, ergonomics
can exacerbate the problem, but I have no problem admitting that they didn't
cause it.)

Cheers ... Kim
kim.roper at pixelink.com
http://www/pixelink.com/

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