Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which is also known as RSI or Repetitive Strain Injury affects the wrists, usually caused from doing a repetitive task such as typing. Repetitive stress, physical trauma, certain diseases, or specific hereditary conditions can inflame the sheaths that surround wrist tendons. With the swelling of small blood vessels, pressure increases on the nerve and disrupts its functioning; numbness, pain, and a loss of manual dexterity result. Treatment can vary from splinting the wrist, drugs, and in severe cases, surgery.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome may occur as a user does repetitive motion on his or her keyboard. There have been several methods to help prevent this from happening. One of the most common ways in preventing this is purchasing a Natural Style ergonomic keyboard. This type of keyboard allows the hands to be in a more suitable position. These keyboards can be purchased from any computer retailer. It is recommended you test the keyboard before purchasing it. The keyboard can be difficult to use for some users. Below is an illustration of what this type of keyboard may look like.

• See our Keyboard help page for additional information on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Also see: Ergonomics, Keyboard definitions, Wrist rest