Warning To All Computer Users!!!!

One of my colleague sent me an e-mail about a Carpal Syndrome. Again, i think this is a really important issue to blog about since most of us are using a computer every single day to do our work and stuff like that. So let me elaborate more about this Carpel Syndrome. 'Carpal' is a medical term which refers to the wrist. A 'syndrome' is a combination of problems which doctors recognise as a particular disease or disorder. The 'carpal tunnel' lies in the wrist and the tendons which run down from the muscles in the forearm to move the fingers pass through it.

The carpal tunnel also contains an important nerve called the median nerve. This nerve controls some of the muscles which move the thumb. It also carries information back to the brain about sensations you feel in your thumb and fingers – particularly the index, middle and (occasionally) the ring fingers. In carpal tunnel syndrome the median nerve gets squeezed – often because the tendons become swollen and overfill the tunnel – and this causes the symptoms described below.

Women are far more likely to have carpal tunnel syndrome than men. It can affect people of all ages. If you have this condition you will experience pain or aching, and tingling or numbness. The symptoms are usually worse in the thumb, index and middle fingers. Occasionally they are so severe that your whole hand feels affected and the aching may sometimes extend up into the forearm. You may find one or both hands are affected. If you are right-handed the right hand tends to be worse, similarly the left hand if you are left-handed.

The symptoms are usually worse at night (when they may disturb your sleep), or in the morning when you wake. Hanging your hand out of bed or shaking it around will often relieve the pain and tingling. During the daytime the problem may not occur but some people find that it can be brought on by physical activities at work or home such as writing, typing, housework, knitting or DIY.

If the nerve is badly squeezed the problems may continue throughout the day. The hand may feel weak, or the fingers numb, or both. There is then a tendency for objects to slip out of your grasp and you may find that activities which require fine finger movements like writing or sewing become more difficult.

Treatment:

Diuretics (water tablets) may help, particularly if you are suffering from fluid retention. If your symptoms are particularly troublesome at night it may help to sleep in a wrist splint which eases the pressure on the median nerve, or Surgery is needed to cure for this kind of diease.

The operation is carried out to reduce the pressure on the median nerve. This offers relief of discomfort or pain, although the return of normal feeling may take some time. Surgery usually takes place as a day-case and you can expect to recover in less than a month. The operation is normally carried out under a local anaesthetic and usually only leaves a small scar. However, the scar may be sore for some time after surgery.

This kind of surgery is usually successful and with luck the normal hand function returns completely. However, if the operation is carried out on somebody who has had the syndrome for a long time – particularly if there is a lot of muscle wasting and loss of sensation – there may be only partial recovery. But even in this situation the pain is usually considerably reduced, as shown in the picture below. Overall, Carpel Syndrome is treatable. And below are some pictures on how you could prevent of having this kind of problem.

You can also do some execise with your hands after u finished working or whenever you starts to feel numb. But it is best if you could do the exercise every 3-4 hours while your at work, espeically if your dealing more to the computer. With that, i wish you guy all the best.

With Love: Amirul010