Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a painful condition that occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed, squeezed, or repeatedly stressed over time. The most common cause of CTS is keyboard and mouse use, and the onset of symptoms makes it painful to use a computer at all,…
Category: Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI)
B-12 Deficiency Can Cause Numbness & Tingling in Hands (Among Other Symptoms)
I’m always interested in causes behind symptoms that often get lumped in under “repetitive stress injuries” (RSI). We blame typing and poor ergonomics for a lot of our woes, but when I was having a lot of trouble with hand pain, it was a matter of changing my diet, not my desk configuration. Of course,…
Laptops vs. Ergonomics
I’ve had laptops for years, and I love the convenience of being able to tote my computer around, doing a few blog posts from the couch, penning a story from bed, or just sitting on the floor next to the fireplace for some web surfing. But I of all people should know this isn’t a…
Update on My RSI Issues (AKA things are looking up)
If you’ve visited before (or clicked the link on the sidebar that describes my issues), you know I started this blog because of hand pain from typing/mousing. I haven’t been posting too much lately, but it’s not because things have gotten worse. My hands are actually about 95% better (this is after more than 4…
Link Between Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Diabetes?
Well, here’s something you really don’t want to hear: “Carpal tunnel syndrome may be an early warning sign that diabetes is just around the corner.” That’s according to an article called “Carpal Tunnel May Predict Diabetes” over at WebMD. In a study of 2,655 people with diabetes (compared against 5,300 without it), researchers looked back…
So, I Have All These Food Allergies…
After three-plus years of trouble with repetitive stress injuries, and trying everything short of surgery, I may have actually figured out my problem. As I mentioned a couple months ago (chronic muscle and joint pain caused by vitamin deficiencies?), I went to a doctor for digestion issues, and she had me tested for food hidden…
Chronic Muscle & Joint Pain Caused by Vitamin/Mineral Deficiencies?
One of the first things doctors do when you go in complaining about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or some Repetitive Stress Injury is tell you to take it easy for a while (sometimes offering a wrist brace) and give you a prescription for anti-inflammatory drugs. This helps some people, but a lot of us just have…
RSI Update: My Hands Have Been Better
Is RSI something that one is ever completely cured of? I’../2004/07/rsimy_condition.html”>here) Although I still have trouble with my hands, I’ve been able to get back to a close-to-normal work load. Since I work from home, I do spread my tasks out over the entire day (an hour here, do something away from the computer, an…
Carpal Solution?
I caught a recent news article that mentioned something called the Carpal Solution as a device designed to help Carpal Tunnel Syndrome sufferers. “It’s called the “carpal solution,” FDA registered therapy which is worn at night and gently tugs at the three key points surrounding the carpal tunnel. This decompresses the soft tissue around the…
Cases of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on the Rise
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome isn’t a problem that’s going anywhere, but with the number of reported cases rising each year, it looks like it’s getting more attention in the medical community. According to a brief article from the Las Vegas news: “The number of carpal tunnel syndrome diagnoses continues to increase. Many factors are contributing to…
Combating Horrible Advice for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Sufferers
I have a lot of respect for medical professionals, but it’s hard not to cringe when I see a doctor’s advice for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome published in a major paper like this: “Simply resting the wrist can lessen tunnel inflammation and let the nerve recover. That can be accomplished by wearing a wrist splint, obtainable…
Text Messaging Leading to RSI for Kids?
As if it isn’t bad enough that our computer keyboards and mice are contributing to an increasing number of instances of RSI in the adult population… now, the warning is out on cell phones. More specifically, text messaging and how popular it’s becoming for kids. A brief article called, “Kids Texting Messages in Danger of…