Are we in the Midst of a Carpal Tunnel Epidemic?
In the information age a high percentage of people spend most of their day working on a computer. All job sectors are using data to improve performance and better manage their businesses. That is one of the reasons that carpal tunnel syndrome has reached epic proportions. Some might say we are in the midst of a Carpal Tunnel Epidemic.
So, many people wonder: “What can be done to manage Carpal Tunnel with the immense data demands of this digital era?”
The repetitive keystrokes required to manage and interpret the data in the information age results in a lot of repetitive stress activities with our hands fingers, forearm, wrist. While it is important to practice good ergonomics while computer to reduce the toll of repetitive stress activity on our hands and wrists – Most people at some point need a “Go To Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome” that they can depend on without downtime, without long rehab periods and without the risks of complications or large expenses associated with Carpal Tunnel Surgery or the complications of Steroid Injections.
Many people are surprised that typing at a keyboard can cause injury to your hands, but if you stop and think about the cumulative effect of the quantity of small keystroke actions performed while at work you can begin to appreciate why there is an Epidemic.
Consider this, If you type 40 words a minute, you press on 12,000 keys per hour and up to 96,000 keys in an 8-hour work day.
It requires about 8 ounces of force to depress one keystroke on an average keyboard.
Lets do the math to figure out the daily force a person’s hands could be exposed to in an average work day on the computer:
In Metric Systems that would be: 21.8 metric tonnes
Once you see the cumulative force the hand of an average computer coder or data entry professional is exposed to daily, the prospect of creating a Carpal Tunnel Epidemic is easily understood and definitely not trivial and not a matter to be taken lightly, or to be joked about. This is a real issue that should be taken seriously by employers, ergonomic experts, state workers compensation departments, health insurance providers, the Federal Government and Doctors.
Some of the professions that spend most of the day on a computer include:
- Software architects,
- Data Scientists,
- Software Engineers,
- App Developers,
- Computer Programmers
- Java Developers,
- Mobile Developer,
- Devops Engineer,
- Net Developer,
- Database Administration,
- Front End Developer,
- Computer Programmers,
- Computer Coding Specialist,
- Medical Coding Experts,
- Electronic Record Specialists,
- Data Entry Specialist,
- Financial Analyst,
- Warehouse and Shipping Specialist,
- Retail Store Manager,
- Supply Chain Manager,
- Logistics Specialist ,
- Accountants,
- Auditors,
- Bank Tellers,
- Bookkeepers,
- Controllers or Comptrollers,
- Credit Analysts,
- Investment Analyst,
- Loan Officer,
- Payroll Supervisor,
- Administrative Assistant,
- Reporters, publishers,
- Editors,
- Architects,
- Interior Designers,
- Graphic Designers,
- Engineers,
- Paralegals,
- Lawyers,
- Authors,
- Court Reporters,
- Film Editor’s,
- Interior Designers,
- Photo Editors,
- Photographers,
- Project Managers,
- Videographer,
- Online Marketing Specialist,
- Social Media Analyst,
- Social Media Manager,
- Web Content Creator,
- Web Editor,
- Computer Repair Technician,
- Search Engine Optimization Specialist,
- Nurses,
- Radiologists,
- Medical Records Specialist,
- Medical Billing Specialist,
Freakonomics did a podcast called, “Whatever Happened to the Carpal Tunnel Epidemic?”
The conclusion is that just because the news media is not reporting a Carpal Tunnel Epidemic and worker compensation agents are discouraging the reporting of Carpal Tunnel claims, doesn’t mean that Carpal Tunnel as a major workplace issue has gone away.
In fact, The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Epidemic continues to expand among many professions including those who work all day with a keyboard.
If it is happening to you – robbing you of sleep, slowing you down and work and causing pain, loss of grip strength and always dropping things? Then who cares if the news media considers it a media event worth reporting or an epidemic with epic proportions. You can read the full Freakonomics Transcript here:
According to the information compiled from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Carpal Tunnel surgery is the second most common type of surgery, with well over 230,000 procedures performed annually in the United States
https://www.orthoarlington.com/astounding-carpal-tunnel-statistics.html
Almost any job today requires spending a lot of time on a computer keyboard using a mouse and looking at the monitor. It’s the nature of working in the digital era. There is more data available than ever before. All industries and jobs are oriented now to seeking to optimize performance using data and digital information to achieve better outcomes for the work being done.
Computer workers and those who work on the keyboard all day long want an easier and better answer than Carpal Tunnel Surgery or Steroid Injections for treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. These dedicated workers need a simple way to manage this chronic hand / wrist condition that they can do at home without downtime and without complications or huge expenses. There is a simple way that Doctors have developed to manage this condition proactively:
The Carpal Solution Nighttime Stretching Treatment is the perfect answer for busy professionals in the information age that are overwhelmed with data and need relief from hand pain, wrist pain, itchy palms, numb fingers, chronic sleep interruption from numb achy hands, and the other chronic symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.
