Do you sit on the job?
Tapping keys and scrolling mice all day?
You may be one of the many sedentary workers subject to harmful repetitive stress – causing pain and weakness of the hand or arm.
When you work at a computer all day, every day, there is tremendous cumulative stress placed on your neck, shoulders, elbow, wrist, and hand. The human body just has not been designed to do this. A wide range of symptoms can result, some of them merely annoying, and some quite serious.
If your doctor focuses only on the hand and wrist, you might be diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. “Carpal tunnel syndrome” refers to pinching of the median nerve as it crosses the front of the wrist to go into your hand.
But in more than thirty years of experience treating hundreds of patients with many variations of “sedentary worker syndrome”, I have found that fewer than one in ten have an uncomplicated case of carpal tunnel syndrome. Most patients don’t even have significant pressure on the median nerve in the wrist. Even if you do, you are likely to have additional problems in the neck, shoulder, or elbow that can outweigh the problems in your wrist.
A thorough evaluation takes into consideration your posture and pattern of repetitive use of your entire spine, shoulder girdle, and arms.
Based on a more complete diagnosis, you can probably be helped with a treatment approach that combines manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and improved workplace ergonomics.
Don’t swallow pills or pop on a wrist brace (and most of all, don’t have surgery) and think that your problem is being treated.
A more effective approach is available, and it’s simple: fix the cause of your problem.
Learn More – Simple Test for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
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