 | | | | Medical Health Encyclopedia | | Other conditions that are more specific to women than men may increase the risk for carpal tunnel syndrome: - The hand-intensive nature of housework and typing may contribute to a higher incidence in women.
- Women are also at significantly higher risk for autoimmune disorders than men are; such disorders are highly linked to CTS.
Family HistoryPeople with close relatives who have carpal tunnel have a higher risk themselves. This risk may be due to a family histories of medical conditions associated with CTS, obesity, or genetic factors. People with Underlying Medical ConditionsA number of illnesses, skeletal abnormalities, and injuries can predispose individuals to carpal tunnel syndrome, including autoimmune diseases and arthritic conditions. Workers at High RiskText Continues Below
At high risk are those whose occupations combine force and repetition of the same motion in the fingers and hand for long periods. Specific Workers at Risk for CTS
Virtually all workers who use their hands and wrists repetitively are at risk for CTS, particularly if they work in cold temperatures and have factors or medical conditions that make them susceptible.
Notes on Specific Occupations Associated with CTS
Computer Users and Typists. Repetitive typing and key entry is highly associated with missing work due to CTS. The risk for CTS in this group, however, is still much lower than with occupations involving heavy labor. Although more than 10% of the computer users complain of CTS symptoms, the evidence implicating computer use as a major cause of CTS is weak. One small 2001 study reported that nerve conduction tests on frequent computer users showed the same rate of CTS (3.5%) as in the general population. A 2003 study found an association between mouse-use (not keyboard use) and CTS. The typing speed may affect risk, in some case, however. For example, the fingers of typists whose speed is 60 words per minute exert up to 25 tons of pressure each day. And in one study, typists with CTS struck the keys with greater force than those without the disorder.
Other Very High Risk Workers. Workers in the meat and fish packing industries and those who assemble airplanes have the highest risk for CTS, according to one study. Meat packers complained of pain and loss of hand function as long ago as the 1860's. Even today, the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in the meat, poultry, and fish packing industries may be as high as 15%. A 2005 study of automobile assembly workers found that the estimated annual rate of CTS ranged from 1% to 10%.
Musicians. Musicians are at very high risk for CTS and other problems related to the muscles and nerves in the hands, upper trunk, and neck. In one study, 20% reported CTS or other nerve disorders in the hands and wrists.
Highest to Lowest Numbers of CTS Events by Job
The following is a list of occupations published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2002 that rates workers with highest to lowest total numbers of CTS-related events:
- Assemblers
- Cashiers
- Secretaries
- General office clerks
- Laborers, nonconstruction
- Bookkeepers, accounting, and auditing clerks
- Welders and cutters
- Data-entry employees
- Textile sewing machine operators
- Order clerks
- Supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations
- Machine operators (unspecified)
- Truck drivers
- Investigators and adjusters (i.e., insurance)
- Insurance adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers
- Packaging and filling machine operators
- Janitors and cleaners
- Bank tellers
- Production inspectors, checkers, and examiners
SOURCES: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor April 2002
At Home and At Play
People who intensively cook, knit, sew, or do needlepoint, play computer games, do carpentry, or extensively use power tools. Long-distance cycling may make symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome worse.
|
|
.gif)
