Ergonomic Wrist Pain 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the main form of ergonomic wrist pain that office workers suffer from. ​Carpal tunnel syndrome results from altered conductivity of the nerves as they travel across the wrist joint, on the palmar side of the hand and wrist. 

Carpal tunnel syndrome can have a number of causes or contributing factors. These can be both local (i.e. at the wrist) and distal (i.e. further up the arm and into the neck). This article will briefly touch on both and discuss how the ergonomic set up of your desk can play a major part in preventing and treating carpal tunnel syndrome.
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Local Factors for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Compression of the nerves as they cross the wrist joint can contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome. These nerves cross the wrist on the underside (palm side) of the wrist. The following ergonomic issues can contribute to nerve compression at the wrist:

• The wrists digging into the edge of the desk.
• The wrists cocked into extension because the keyboard is too high.
• Having your chair too low in relation to the desk.

Ergonomic Wrist Pain - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Distal Factors for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Considering that carpal tunnel syndrome is a nerve problem, anything that irritates or damages the particular nerves that cross the wrist joint has the potential to contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome.

The main nerve involved in carpal tunnel syndrome is the median nerve. This nerve originates from the neck. As such, the health of your nerves as they leave the neck region is very important. The relevance to your workstation ergonomics is that if your workstation is set up poorly, or you are sitting with poor posture, you increase the risk of placing unnecessary stress on the nerves as they leave the neck. 

To understand this, have a read of the impact that poor ergonomics can have on the neck and shoulder regions. If the neck and shoulder regions are placed under excessive and unnecessary stress, as a result of poor ergonomics, there is an increased chance that the nerves in those areas will be adversely affected. It is important to note that these nerves are continuous from the neck to the fingers. As such, any irritation or damage to the nerves at the neck or shoulder region may lead to altered nerve conductivity at the wrist (and I stress "may", because not everyone with poor ergonomics will develop carpal tunnel syndrome).


​What to do about it?

There are several things that can be done from an ergonomic perspective to help with carpal tunnel syndrome. These include:

Locally:

• Placing a gel pad between the keyboard/mouse and the edge of the desk.
• Ensuring that the keyboard is not elevated too high.
• Ensuring that your seat is at the correct height.

Distally:

• Ensuring that your workstation is ergonomically friendly, paying particular attention to your chair height, backrest angle, screen height, and whether you need a footrest.
• Get a massage if you feel tightness in your shoulders and neck region.

If in doubt, or you have developed carpal tunnel syndrome, your best bet is to always seek the advice of a physiotherapist or get an ergonomic assessment.

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