response 1 of 77:

Dec 20 18:19 UTC 1995

i have some  problems witrh that with my fibromyalgia and the fact that i
gripped a frozen door lhandle and pulled  my wrist  a good one..if I write
too much my arm and wrist aches but it seems typing isn't as bad.
i don't use somethig to rest my wrist on though I don't care for it.  Of
course I rest between sentances  when I type.

response 3 of 77:

Dec 21 09:34 UTC 1995

I knew we'd get here sooner or later. How familiar are we with the anatomy
around here? The carpal tunnel is the narrow spot at the base of the hand
through which pass many/most of the nerves and tendons that control manual
function. (Most of us have a few deep lines/wrinkles there, just for
reference.) There is a "band" around this bundle of goodies, near the carpus.
(The wrist bone that you can see when looking at the back of your hand.)

When a tendon gets irritated and swells (repetitive motion syndrome is the
current "biggie") it crowds things within the carpal tunnel, causing pain and
numbness, usually in the fingers.

>>>How am I doing, nurses?<<<

If correction can't be made through rest, physical therapy, steroid
injection, and/or behaviour modification, (the list goes on and on) the
solution is usually surgery. The "band" is cut to relieve the pressure on
the nerves. Sweet and simple, usually on an out-patient basis, and most
folks are up and functioning in about a week.

Hope this basic info helps. Feel free, everyone, to add to or correct what
I've posted here; it's been a while since my personal experience with the CTS
merry-go-'round. (3 operations, 6 years of physical/occupational therapy,
countless casts and splints, more nerve conduction studies than I want to
think about, and I *still* have a fairly useless hand with two numb fingers.
Bonus: I have NEVER HAD CTS!!!)

Have a nice day. <insert emoticon for dripping sarcasm here>
Testy, ain't she!

response 5 of 77:

Dec 21 22:31 UTC 1995

anterior, clustered around the part of the wrist right by the hand. 
Tendonitis tends to be spread over the area further back along the arm, and
I describe it as a sensation where you can actually feel that you have tendons
in there.

response 7 of 77:

Dec 21 23:49 UTC 1995

What otter said, hopefullly not that far.  First thing is to make sure that
your keyboard is in a good position, which helps a great deal.  Bascially,
you should be able to type with straight wrists.  One of those new fangled
"ergonomic" keyboards that are split into two sections (like the Microsoft
Natural Keyboard) can help, but all this stuff is just tweaks.  If you use
a mouse a lot and than hand is worse, try switching mouse hands.  Wrist rests
are popular, but don't (in my opinion) do much, since you are much better
supporting your arms than your wrists.

response 9 of 77:

Dec 22 16:03 UTC 1995

Actually, CTS is felt in the hand/fingers.  The nerve to the skin
overlying the carpal tunnel (over the flexor retinaculum, to be precise)
in most people comes off the median nerve in the forearm.  In a few
people, it travels with the nerve through the carpal tunnel and swings
around the other side.  Keeping the wrist straight helps to maximize the
volume of the carpal tunnel, and thus reduce the pressure on its
structures.  That is how carpal tunnel braces work.  They should
especially be used at night to keep your wrist from flopping around in
your sleep.

response 11 of 77:

Dec 22 21:06 UTC 1995

There are many things which can mimic carpal tunnel, and its counterpart in
the foot - tarsal tunnel.  Once irritated (compressed) you can feel symptoms
anywhere along the involved nerve(s), correctly stated as median nerve (most
commonly involved in CTS).  Even high blood pressure can be a factor, since
vessels enter the hand along with the nerve, and a bulging vessel can compress
the nerve in the cramped canal.

Conservative treatments include lowering your keyboard, changing the heights
of your seat and making sure you keep your hands/wrists/arms as straight as
possible.  Spints work well for minor cases, and you can do isometric
exercises to gain muscle strength and flexibility around your wrist, reducing
some of the stress in the carpal tunnel.  Some people have said ice massage
of the area works for them, while others prefer moist heat.  Vitamin B12 and
B6 have also been helpful for some.

There are other related anatomic structures in the area which can also become
inflammed with repetative motion or even minor trauma.  The joints can swell
up and you can get arthritis, or synovitis.  You can get synovitis of the
tendon sheath(s) as well (tenosynovitis).  There could also be (much more
rarely) a variety of benign or malignant bone tumors.  If asprin takes away
the pain you might want to have an x-ray to rule out osteoid osteoma...but,
again, these are far less common than neuritis, arthritis or tenosynovitis.
You might even see some swelling in the area which could be a ganglion cyst,
sometimes called a "bible cyst" (anybody know why?).  These, too, are benign
and may even resolve on their own.  May need to be aspirated (with a needle)
or removed if they remain a problem.

response 13 of 77:

Dec 24 07:36 UTC 1995

Along with proper positioning of the wrists and such, remember to take regular
breaks from keyboarding to do something else for a few minutes. Two different
OT's have recommended resting your hands on top of your head, but I'm not sure
of the reason.

response 17 of 77:

Dec 28 22:55 UTC 1995

resting your hands on the top of your head does flex your wrists and takes
pressure off the carpal tunnel.  You can do the same thing by just folding
your hands in front of you and interlocking your fingers.  That way, you don't
have gravity pressing the top of your head into your carpal tunnel  ;)

response 19 of 77:

Feb 9 01:30 UTC 1996

I"ve come to the conclusion that the right hand is forced to do twice as much
as the left hand in computer work.  The mouse, the arrow keys, and all the
important punctuation are on the right hand.  I've moved to left-handed
mousing (now doing it right-handed feels strange!), but where can I get a left
handed keyboard?  I think I need to take some load off my right hand.

response 21 of 77:

Feb 9 07:37 UTC 1996

Turn the keyboard over (left to right), and type upwards. This will both
give you a left-handed keynboard, but also confuse the hell out of your
carpel tunnel and it won't give you any more trouble.

response 23 of 77:

Feb 12 01:50 UTC 1996

Finally!! Someone else noticed! I've been hollering for a left-handed numeric
keypad for years, just because I am better co-ordinated on that side for small
motor stuff. If you find a good source, scott, do let us know. . .
>>>Good one, rane!