If like a majority of the people, you work in front of a computer for over 8 hours a day, and if you find yourself suffering from pain, numbness of the wrist, and even a stinging sensation in your hands, you could be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. Better known as repetitive stress disorder, carpal tunnel syndrome is a crippling disability, that till recently, was viewed more as a shirker’s excuse to stay away from doing her/his work. But over 5 million Americans can’t be shirkers! For that is the number being presented by the latest survey regarding carpal tunnel syndrome sufferers in our nation!

Simply put, carpal tunnel syndrome is a work related injury that affects those individuals, whose work demands that they spend time doing activities that put pressure on the wrist and the wrist tendons. Most users of computers for prolonged periods suffer from some degree of the carpal tunnel syndrome. Others who are likely to suffer debilitating effects are cashiers in banks and financial institutions, computer operators, desktop publishing professionals, call center professionals, assembly line workers, cash register operators and even writers – all of whom spend their time at work doing repetitive jobs with their wrists, thereby resulting in carpal tunnel syndrome.

But carpal tunnel syndrome is not something that comes about abruptly. It happens gradually, over time. Since it entails a nerve in the wrist to be pressured, causing numbness and associated disability, the process can take years to developed into a full blown case of carpal tunnel syndrome. The typical symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome begin with a frequent pain or ache in the palms and wrists. This may lead to numbness and/or tingling and itching. While the hands themselves may or may not appear swollen, they will feel swollen and no amount of heat treatment may make this sensation go away. These symptoms usually occur during the night, when the wrist is resting. If not treated in the initial stages, the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome only become more pronounced, and begin manifesting themselves during the day as well. Some of the symptoms of advanced stages of carpal tunnel syndrome include clumsiness, frequent dropping of items held in the hands, reduced grip capacity of the hands and even problems with dexterity and coordination control.

Having recognized carpal tunnel syndrome as a genuine medical problem, scientists and healthcare professionals have come up with a number of devises and treatments to ameliorate the pain of sufferers. One of the most commonly used among these treatments is what is known as splinting. Just as a fractured bone is repaired using splints to set it in its regular position, carpal tunnel syndrome too can be treated with splinting. In most cases, it has been found that setting the wrist in a strain-free position and splinting it for a length of time, may remove the effects of carpal tunnel syndrome. There are also a range of oral and superficial medications available to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. The most common medications include anti inflammatory gels and ointments, oral corticosteroids and even local injections of steroids to relive inflammation and pain. In advanced or serious cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, surgery may be required. 

Article courtesy of www.LoseTheBackPain.com

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