Carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS is very common in people who frequently type while working. It’s also common for people with jobs that require a lot of repetitive motion with the fingers, hands, and wrists. People with diabetes, thyroid disease, and rheumatoid arthritis are also more likely to develop CTS. Certain things should be done to help prevent the disease, as it can seriously affect your ability to work and enjoy life.
Setting up your work correctly can help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. It is important to maintain the correct posture and position the keyboard correctly. Shoulders should be relaxed while typing on the keyboard. Your wrists should be at the same height as your fingers, not higher or lower. It is common for people to write with their wrists lower than their fingers, which can put pressure on the wrist.
It is better to sit closer to the desk. You want to avoid slouching and allow your chin to drift forward. It is also important to use a lumbar support to help support the lumbar spine. Your hips and knees should be at about 90 degrees with your feet flat on the ground. You should avoid slouching to read the work that is being written. You can purchase a work support stand to allow you to sit up straight while you write.
Using a wrist rest is helpful to avoid straining your wrists when typing. Some keyboards have keys with higher resistance. This can make typing more difficult because you have to hit the keys harder to type. This will put more strain on your wrist and make you more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. Adjusting the keyboard tension can help avoid this problem and make typing easier.
Doing wrist exercises before typing can help warm up your wrists and prevent strain. There are several effective exercises that are simple and easy to do. A simple exercise you can do is to shake hands before writing for a minute or make a fist with each hand for about 10 seconds. These exercises only take a couple of minutes and can be effective in helping prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.
Taking frequent breaks is also important. When breaking, it is important to rest your wrists and eyes. It’s a good idea to get away from your computer and keyboard when you take a break. You should take a break every half hour. Software programs are designed to remind you to take a break while you work. These methods explained are simple but can be very effective in helping to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome.
