You have spent the last 6 hours at your desk with your eyes glued to the computer, your hands typing nonstop on the keyboard, and your back hunched over. You notice that your wrist is starting to ache, and your fingers are starting to tingle, causing you to slow down, stop to shake out your hands and not move as well as you did hours ago. There’s no end in sight.
That uncomfortable feeling in your hand and wrist? You may be thanking carpal tunnel for that. A sharp pang racing down your elbow? Chances are this is caused by something called cubital tunnel. Due to the combination of increased screen time, decreased movement throughout the day, along with poor body positioning, more and more people are experiencing these inflictions. Proper workstation ergonomics are more important than ever before, especially with how many people are now having to work from home with different office set ups.
We talked with our Spooner hand therapy team at our North Phoenix clinic, to get some more insight on what to look for with carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel, as well as how you can set yourself up for success at your workstation!
When is it time to see an occupational therapist over carpal tunnel? Read “When Do You Need Carpal Tunnel Physical Therapy” on the Spooner Blog!
Carpal Tunnel and Cubital Tunnel
Experiencing numbness or tingling in your thumb, index and middle fingers is a symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a common cause of hand pain and discomfort. It occurs when the tissues surrounding the tendons in your wrist swell and put pressure on the median nerve. The swelling narrows the small space of the carpal tunnel and crowds the nerve, causing that tingling sensation and numbness to begin.1
The same feeling goes for cubital tunnel syndrome. Instead of feeling the numbness and tingling sensation in your first three fingers though, you feel it in the pinky and ring fingers because it is coming from nerve compression at the inside of the elbow. This could be from things such as leaning on your elbow at your desk, holding your phone up to your ear for too long, or hitting your “funny bone”. Putting pressure on your elbow or accidently bumping it causes an “electric shock” sensation to the fingers.2
Sleep positioning could impact these symptoms as well! It is not uncommon when sleeping for people to have wrists and elbows bent, which can exacerbate neural symptoms in those areas. Having good sleep positioning, sometimes with the assistance of a splint, can be helpful with reducing symptoms overall.
Kristin says, “I see cubital tunnel and carpal tunnel patients quite frequently in the clinic, especially now with so many working from home with less-than-ideal office set ups.”
Setting Yourself Up for Success
The way you spend your work day could be playing a big role in whether or not you are experiencing symptoms of carpal tunnel or cubital tunnel. Regardless if you are working from home or if you are working in a traditional office setting, it is so important to make sure you have a good ergonomic setup. Typing on your keyboard, clicking your mouse, holding your phone, sitting in your chair; all of these factors impact how your body feels and moves during and after your workday. Here are some quick tips from Kristin to make sure your space is helping you, rather than hurting you, in the long term.
Kristin advises that when sitting at your workspace, you want your joints to be at approximately 90 degrees – your knees, your hips, and your elbows. Check out the diagram to see what other things you should be keeping in mind when you are working away on that next project. 3
Are you familiar with gel wrist rests? While these rests might provide a brief break for your muscles, they actually do not provide any significant ergonomic benefit. Believe it or not, they could increase the number of risk factors for injury at your workstation. By resting on the support, you are applying pressure to the underside of your wrist, which will compress the tissues and result in decreased blood flow. This can ultimately compress the carpal tunnel, and bring on tingling and numbness in your hands and finger muscles. 4 Bottom line? It’s best to ditch the wrist rests.
Kristin says, “A vertical mouse is a great option to include in your workstation. This is a device that is designed to place your hand and wrist in a more neutral position, taking off pressure from the carpal tunnel.” Make sure to not have your wrists extended when typing too! A neutral wrist is always the best way to go. Kristin explains how keeping your wrists too extended does more harm than good. Finding time throughout your work day to give your wrists and hands a break can be an easy to incorporate way to help decrease symptoms. The next time you are writing an email and are pausing to think, try placing your hands in your lap to relax instead of leaving them on the keyboard. Another great modification is to incorporate voice to text software when typing emails or using voice to text on your phone whenever possible.
Read more about “Achieving Proper Sitting Posture“ from the Spooner blog!
In addition to activity modifications and ergonomic adjustments, custom splinting could be another conservative option to incorporate. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, these splints can be worn at night or during the day. Your hand therapist can help determine the best wear schedule for you!
Stretch It Out
Stretching your wrist extensor and flexor muscles is a good way to keep everything feeling good and moving properly. Nerve glide exercises that focus specifically on carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel can also be a great addition. They are simple, straightforward exercises that can be done right at home. Remember to take frequent rest breaks throughout the day too!
These are just a few examples of things to be mindful of during your day and how you can set yourself up for success.
Learn more about Hand Therapy at Spooner Physical Therapy. Ready to schedule an appointment? Schedule an appointment or complimentary movement screen with a Spooner occupational therapist at one of our locations throughout the valley.
References
- “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Symptoms and Treatment – OrthoInfo – AAOS.” OrthoInfo, www.orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/carpal-tunnel-syndrome/.
- Cubital Tunnel Syndrome 2018 – ASHT. www.asht.org/sites/default/files/docs/2018/Cubital%20Tunnel%20Syndrome%202018.pdf.
- Pt & Me. “Post Navigation.” PT ME, 15 Apr. 2020, www.ptandme.com/the-ergonomic-workstation/.
- Middlesworth, Matt. “Truth vs. Myth: Do Wrist Rests Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?” ErgoPlus, 16 Feb. 2018, www.ergo-plus.com/truth-vs-myth-wrist-rests-prevent-carpal-tunnel-syndrome/.