Buena Salud Chile
It is often thought that heavy use of cell phones, computers, and video game consoles damages the wrist. Dr. Badia debunks this and explains what the real injuries in the carpal tunnel are.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a very common and poorly
understood condition, to the point that in recent years it has received a lot of media attention, and yet not even the scientific
community fully understands it. The media classifies it as an “occupational disease” (since they tend to associate it with repetitive activities like typing or assembly line work in a factory, constant computer use, or continuous texting on modern cell phones) because the pain manifests in the hands; however, public opinion is wrong and the reality is different: the cause is not the use of a keyboard; although there is some predisposition to this condition, repetitive activities (like typing on a computer) can aggravate it.
In reality, it is a metabolic problem and it occurs more frequently in certain groups of people, such as: women in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy, diabetics, patients with hypothyroidism, and menopausal women.
Perhaps the reason it is associated with computers is simply because, historically, the people who worked typing in offices were typically women.
Fortunately, the diagnosis is not complicated when seen by a hand surgeon, and the solution is easy. Today, it is an outpatient intervention performed endoscopically with minimal discomfort, through two small holes. The recovery of functions is almost immediate, as is returning to your everyday habits such as: using your cell phone, computer, cooking, or something as simple as getting dressed.
