After working in an office, typing documents throughout the day, your wrist may be acting a little bit funny. When you try to pick up your stapler, for instance, you may not be able to pick it up with your dominant hand. You dropped several pens after removing them from the box in which they were packed.
Now, you may be noticing that your symptoms are worse after you spent the whole day typing. This may make you wonder what may be wrong.
What is a “cumulative injury?”
A cumulative injury may also be called a repetitive motion trauma. Over the years, your wrists may be feeling the stress of making the same motions all day long, throughout your week. This type of injury may not be easy to spot or diagnose because it developed over time.
Your job description may say that you type or transcribe documents. While you may carry out other duties, such as filing or taking phone calls, working on the computer may be your main role.
What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
You may have become concerned enough by your symptoms that you went to see your primary doctor. Based on your symptoms, they may have given you a diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, which you now have to report to your supervisor.
Carpal tunnel syndrome affects your hand because of pressure inside your wrist. This pressure affects the median nerve, which runs through your wrist and up into your arm. You may feel numbness or tingling, which may happen during the day or at night.
Can carpal tunnel syndrome get worse?
It may. You may lose the ability to coordinate the movements of your fingers. This may make it difficult for you to carry out certain tasks, such as buttoning a shirt. It may get hard to move your thumb.
