Pain Prevention: How To Avoid Carpal TunnelSyndrome & Taking Action Now Makes A Difference

If you've never experienced it, consider yourself lucky. CarpalTunnel Syndrome-a painful condition caused by swelling of thetendons in the wrists-is no joke. Hundreds of thousands ofpeople suffer from the affliction on a daily basis; many havehad to quit their jobs or abandon favorite activities, and theworst part is. chances are, it could have been avoided. CTS is caused by repetitive, unnatural movements such as typingfor extended periods of time or manipulating machines thatvibrate. Those that have experienced the onset of CTS firsthandoften complain of intense pain, swelling, limited handfunctions, loss of strength, even loss of feeling. There are some basic steps you can take to prevent-or at leastreduce-your risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Spend the time and money on outfitting your desk properly. Manyof us who feel we don't spend "that much" time on our homecomputers know that we're sitting in an uncomfortable,unnatural position, but decide to just suffer through it. Badidea. Even short amounts of time spent working in unnaturalpositions over the course of weeks can be harmful. Install anergonomically correct keyboard tray on your computer desk. Ourfavorite is the Basic Keyboard Tray from Versa Products, Inc.There are numerous great keyboard trays on the market now, butthe Basic Keyboard Tray was the top of the line for under $100,and it installs to pretty much any existing desk you have. Keep your hands warm. If you work in a cold environment, eitheroutside or a building where you can't control the temperature(like a warehouse), wear fingerless gloves that keep themuscles in your wrists from cooling down and tightening. Alternate tasks to avoid overuse. Sure, logically it makessense to enter all the orders on the computer at once and thenmove on to filing, finishing that in one fell swoop too. Don'tcompromise the health of your body for efficiency. After all,how efficient will you be when you type more slowly due towrist pain, or need to use both hands to pull heavy files? Takebreaks and alternate tasks, giving your muscles time to relaxand readapt. Reduce your force. Instead of pounding on your keyboard likeyou're Mozart banging out a concerto, touch your keyboardlightly. Hold pens and levers with a relaxed grip. Use a sawingmotion to cut rather than pressing down with your wrist. Payingattention to unnatural pressure on your hands and wrists is keyto realizing when you're putting yourself at risk. Treat yourwrists well, and they'll do the same for you.About The Author:http://www.versatables.com/pages/keyboardarmmain.php