Hello EASI colleagues,

This article, published in yesterday's paper, tells of a study that refutes
the idea that heavy computer use is associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
(CTS). This is actually old news. There are many kinds of computer overuse
injuries, but CTS is but one -- and not the most common.

Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands develop serious injuries from computers,
but only rarely do they get CTS. Injuries to the hands, wrists, arms, elbows,
shoulders, neck, and back can develop from overusing keyboards, mice, and
other input devices. Most computer users do not develop CTS, which occurs with
median nerve compression in the wrist, often due to inflammation.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a misleading term for computer overuse injuries
because it gives the impression that most people develop wrist injuries, only.
From the literature I have read, most computer injuries seem to be neck- or
shoulder-related. There are better umbrella terms for this class of injury,
including "Repetitive Strain Injuries" or "Repetitive Stress Injuries" (RSI)
"Computer-related Musculoskeletal Injuries," and others.

Alan

Alan Cantor
Cantor + Associates Inc.
Workplace Accommodation Consultants
[log in to unmask]
www.interlog.com/~acantor

Article from the Toronto Star, Tuesday 12 June 2001, page A24

Carpal tunnel not tied to computers: Study

CHICAGO (Reuters)- Heavy computer use does not increase the risk of developing
carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition marked by pain and numbness in the hands
and wrists, according to a study released yesterday.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said they were surprised
by the findings that showed heavy computer use, even up to seven hours a day,
did not increase a person's risk of developing the syndrome.

"We had expected to find a much higher incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in
the heavy computer users in our study because it is a commonly held belief
that computer use causes carpal tunnel syndrome," said J. Clarke Stevens, a
neurologist at the prestigious clinic.

Carpal tunnel, a form of repetitive strain injury, is a compression of the
median nerve at the wrist and is treated by wearing a splint or an injection
of cortisone to reduce swelling.

The results of the study, the first to consider the association between the
syndrome and computer use, were published in the June 12 issue of Neurology.

"The findings are contrary to popular thought but nobody has studied the
problem carefully," Stevens said. "I'd like computer users to know that
prolonged use of a computer does not seem to lead to carpal tunnel."

Because the syndrome is a common condition in the population - one in 10 will
develop symptoms - some computer users will develop it, Stevens said.

Investigators sent surveys to 314 computer-using employees at the Mayo
facility in Scottsdale, Ariz., inquiring about hand numbness and sensations of
"pins and needles," common symptoms of the syndrome.

Of the 257 people who responded, those who indicated symptoms were
interviewed.

Unless the patients were clearly diagnosable with a condition other than
carpal tunnel, they were tested for the syndrome via electromyogram, an EMG,
or a nerve conduction study.

Only 27, or 10.5 per cent, of the participants met clinical criteria for
carpal tunnel, and in nine cases, or 3.5 per cent, an EMG confirmed the
syndrome.

Stevens noted that heavy computer users often get a lot of other pains in the
neck, shoulder, arm and wrist, but most do not get the syndrome from using a
computer.

Repetitive motions in jobs outside the office also have been linked to the
syndrome.