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Carpal tunnel syndrome
Computer and Health
By Dr Rob Hicks
I'm seeing more and more people in my surgery suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, and one of the things it appears to be related to, is using computer keyboards.
In the wrist, there is a tunnel formed by the strong tissue through which the tendons of the hand and the median nerve pass. It's a tight squeeze, so anything that reduces the space in the tunnel, such as fluid or inflammation of the tendon coatings, exerts pressure on this nerve. It's believed that repetitive overuse of the hand tendons, as with any tendon or muscle, causes them to become inflamed. Hence why keyboard use or other repetitive activities can be responsible.
When the nerve is compressed, people suffer discomfort, numbness, pins and needles, and sometimes, pain in the thumb, index, middle, and side of the ring finger, next to the middle finger. This is where the median nerve endings are distributed. Tingling often wakes sufferers up at night; when vigorously shaking the hands and arms is what brings relief. Men will also describe dropping things, or being clumsy with simple, but fiddly tasks, such as fitting a plug, for example.
Prevention is better than a cure, so avoidance of repetitive actions, and taking regular breaks from the activity is essential. If at a computer keyboard, use a suitable wrist support, and make sure the workstation is correctly positioned. Also, check the chair is at the right height.
Anti-inflammatory medicines will relieve the symptoms, and often, experts will recommend the use of wrist splints. If this isn't improving the situation, then steroid injections, or a minor operation to release the nerve compression, is performed.
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Can you tell me two health and two safety risks that need to be considered when using computers, or just give examples because i don't understand the difference?
Health & safety risks include anything that can affect your well-being, physical fitness or endanger your life. Here are some ideas of what type of risks these include with regard to computer equipment:
Health
Using laser printers can affect your health if they are not properly positioned in a ventilated space. This is because fumes are given off when the printer is going through the process of producing a printed page.
Using computer equipment can affect your health if it is not correctly and ergonomically set-up. By this we mean - correct desk, chair and keyboard heights; proper positioning of monitor and lighting around it; use of wrist rests for mouse and keyboards. The health effects of poorly set up working environments can include eye strain; repetitive strain injury on joints and muscles; back aches.
I would like to have some points which will help me write my own notes on the topic: the social,ethical,legal and economic implications of computer use.
Here are some points to get you started:
Research, identify and discuss changing trends in computer
use as a result of developments in computer technology. Remember,
computers don't just include PCs, but anything with built-in computing
power such as mobile phones, CD/DVD players, digital cameras etc.
Explain why computers are best suited for tasks requiring
speed, accuracy and repetition.
Explain changes to society (consumers) brought about by the
introduction and use of computer systems.
Describe the impact of computers on jobs.
Health and safety
There are various health problems associated with the regular use of computers, and because of this employers must be aware of the regulations surrounding computer health and safety.
Employer regulations, General working environment, Possible dangers and solutions, Glossary.
Employer regulations. The law states that an employer must:
Provide tiltable screens, Provide anti-glare screen filters, Provide adjustable chairs, Provide foot supports, Make sure lighting is suitable, Make sure workstations are not cramped, Plan work at a computer so that there are frequent breaks, Pay for appropriate eye and eyesight tests by an optician.
Note:These regulations apply only to offices - not to students or pupils in schools or colleges.
In order to provide the satisfactory equipment for their employees, employers use ergonomics to assist the equipment design process. It is the science concerned with designing safe and comfortable machines for humans. This includes furniture design and the design of parts of the computer like keyboards.
Health at work - physical health
You don't have to work on a building site for your job to affect your health; even the more sedentary occupations can be a risk.
Back pain
Back pain is a fairly universal experience. Some see it as an inevitable legacy of our evolution, the result of turning a body designed to hang from a horizontal spine into a vertical spire, where a carefully balanced mechanism of muscles and joints must support organs and tissues pulling the column of vertebral bones downwards.
Back problems often start at work. Take an office worker who typically spends up to 40 hours a week hunched solid over their desk, nurses who need to frequently lift patients, a taxi driver bent into the driving seat for over 25,000 miles a year, a farmer constantly lifting sacks, seeds and machinery, or a checkout assistant sat on a poorly designed chair at her till all day (57% experience lower back pain each year). Our backs may be put under prolonged strain by our jobs and its hardly surprising that something within the delicate balance of bones and muscles so often fails.
