Carpal tunnel syndrome - a disease that causes trouble for office workers

Working as an accountant, Ms. Le Thi Trang (42 years old, Hanoi ) sits at the computer for nearly 10 hours a day, and sometimes when she gets home, she still has to turn on the computer to handle unfinished work. In the past two years, she has felt her wrists weaken significantly, often aching and numb. At times like that, she uses massage oil but it does not go away. Over time, the symptoms of pain and fatigue spread to the wrist and shoulder. This causes inconvenience to her daily life and affects her health.

When she went to the hospital for a check-up, she was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome due to working too much and not having enough time to rest her wrists. Ms. Trang was examined promptly so it was in the early stages, after a month of taking the medicine, her hand numbness and pain were almost gone. The doctor instructed her on how to exercise her wrists and hands more appropriately to avoid recurrence as well as to note the signs that required a follow-up examination.

Similar to Ms. Trang, Mr. Le Van Tu (45 years old, Hanoi), an IT employee, also felt numbness in his hands, and his right hand sometimes lost feeling, but he subjectively thought that the pain was due to working too much and that he would return to normal after resting.

Recently, the symptoms became more severe, he had a lot of pain in his wrist, and could not move. At the hospital, after taking his medical history and studying the results of the scan, the doctor concluded that he had carpal tunnel syndrome on the background of diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

Mr. Tu's injury became severe, showing signs of muscle atrophy, requiring surgery to restore mobility. After surgery, his numbness and pain improved significantly. The doctor asked him to wear a wrist splint at night for 2-3 weeks. After about 5-6 weeks of surgery, he could work slowly and do heavy work.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is common in people who work with computers and have to use their hands continuously and maintain a bent wrist position for long periods of time. (Illustration)

According to MSc. Dr. Le Van Minh Tue, Department of Plastic Surgery, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, carpal tunnel syndrome is a disease that occurs when the median nerve passing through the carpal tunnel is compressed, causing long-term nerve dystrophy and median nerve fibrosis in the carpal tunnel. Patients often experience pain, numbness, reduced or lost sensation in the skin of the hand, reduced grip strength, hindering daily activities.

"The disease is common in people who often use a lot of hand force or repeat actions many times, such as office workers," said Dr. Tue.

Women are more likely to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome than men. This may be because in addition to office work, they also do a lot of housework that involves their hands. Other factors that increase the risk of the disease include being overweight, obese, and having diabetes.

Common signs of this syndrome are pain, numbness, weakness, tingling or burning sensation in the hand and wrist. To diagnose, the patient undergoes electromyography to determine the location of the compressed nerve and the level of nerve damage (mild, moderate or severe). From there, the doctor will have the appropriate treatment direction, severe cases require surgery.

If properly indicated, carpal tunnel release surgery can improve 98% of symptoms, with an average post-operative recovery time of one month. If not treated promptly, prolonged median nerve compression causes nerve fibrosis, resulting in a longer recovery time (3-6 months) and incomplete recovery. Severe cases can cause muscle atrophy, reduced hand function and mobility.

Experts note that carpal tunnel syndrome is not life-threatening but greatly affects the patient's daily activities. Everyone, especially office workers, should proactively prevent this disease by working, exercising and resting properly to reduce stress and pressure on the wrist. You should maintain the correct hand posture when working, reduce the force on the wrist and fingers when typing on the computer, and use a computer mouse that fits your hand.

Nhu Loan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/hoi-chung-ong-co-tay-benh-gay-phien-toai-cho-dan-van-phong-ar909252.html