Carpal tunnel is bad news. It’s something you want to avoid at all costs, because once you have it, it can take a long time for it to go away, and it may require surgery. In the meanwhile though, you’ll suffer a nasty combination of numbness and pain.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused when pressure is put on the soft tissue in the wrist which cuts off the blood supply to nerve endings. If caught right away, when the first signs of numbness present themselves, it’s usually easily reversible, but if left unchecked, that’s when surgery may be required. Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to reduce your risks. Here are the three things that make the biggest difference:
Regular Breaks Matter
You don’t even have to get up from your chair, but you absolutely should take a break from your work and perform a series of wrist bends and stretches in order to keep them limber and flexible.
Ergonomics is Everything
The phone on your desk, your keyboard, and your mouse should all be within easy reach. No more than the length of your forearm in distance from your body. You’re going to want to adjust the height of your chair so that when you are seated at your desk, your forearms are level with your keyboard. In this configuration, you won’t have to bend or flex your wrists when you type.
Keyboard Pads
You may have seen these on the keyboards of people you work with. These are long strips of foam that run along the bottom edge of your keyboard. Consider them to be “palm pillows.” They cushion you’re the heels of your palms, preventing the nerves in your wrist and hands from getting squeezed.
If you follow these three simple strategies, you won’t reduce your risk of getting Carpal tunnel to zero, but you’ll go a long way toward that goal. Your wrists will thank you for it.
