John Rodgers on sat 27 dec 03
I was digging around in my personal archives and came across this
article I had kept. Since a number of us have various hand and nerve
problems which affect our abilities to create, I thought I would post it
in its entirety as I copied it so long ago. I hope it does someone
somewhere some good.
John Rodgers
Chelsea, AL
Exercises may prevent carpal tunnel syndrome
For P.M. Release
Sun., Feb. 25, 1996
Poster D 29
For more information contact
Alvin Nagelberg
Joanne Swanson
Cindy Oertel
Sue Christenson
ATLANTA - A team of orthopaedic surgeons has developed special exercises
that can help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome
(CTS).
The exercises, which should be done at the start of each work shift and
after each break, decrease the median nerve pressure
responsible for CTS, according to the results of a study presented here
today at the American Academy of Orthopaedic
Surgeons annual meeting.
In addition, the research also determined that newly-diagnosed carpal
tunnel syndrome patients should not do everyday
activities such as ring a doorbell, hold a coffee cup, or push a
shopping cart with the affected hand for the first seven to 10
days of conservative, nonsurgical treatment.
These simple activities were found to substantially increase
intra-tunnel pressure on the median nerve of the wrist, thus
worsening the condition, said senior author Houshang Seradge, MD,
clinical assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery,
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
"Any hand/wrist movement will actually reduce the benefit obtained by
wearing a wrist brace/splint," said Dr. Seradge.
Standard conservative treatment for CTS is the splint plus
anti-inflammatory medication, for several weeks.
Dr. Seradge said that for optimal effect, the CTS patient's hand must be
immobilized completely - except for regimented hourly
exercises - for at least one week. Then the patient can slowly go back
to simple activities.
In the study, orthopaedic researchers measured the pressure on the
median nerve in functional positions of 102 hands (92
people). A total of 81 hands had documented carpal tunnel syndrome; the
remaining 21 served as controls.
"The median tunnel pressure in the resting position in CTS patients was
nearly double that of the control group - 43.8 mm/Hg.
versus 24 mm/Hg.," said Dr. Seradge.
Whenever a participant made a fist, pointed a finger, or pushed an
object, the pressure increased significantly. "For workers
with carpal tunnel syndrome, these simple actions could influence their
outcome," he said.
The orthopaedic surgeons then gave the patients the special exercises
and measured the pressure again. "After just one minute
of active or passive exercise of the wrist and fingers, the pressure
dropped and remained below the resting intra-tunnel
measure for over 10 minutes of continuous measurement."
Dr. Seradge said that workers with hand-intensive jobs should do a
five-minute exercise warm-up before starting work, just as
runners stretch before a run to prevent injury.
Depending on the type of work, employees should also do a slow isometric
and isotonic exercise for posturing and toning of
neck and arms, Dr. Seradge said.
In addition to keyboard operators, factory workers, and typists, also at
risk for carpal tunnel syndrome are workers whose
jobs require holding actions, such as barbers and bus drivers.
"In the long run, daily exercises, combined with job modification, will
save employers money that they would have had to
spend on carpal tunnel syndrome surgery for workers," said Dr. Seradge.
Co-authors of the study with Dr. Seradge are Medhi N. Adham, MD, and
Wilafred L. Parker, P.A., both of Oklahoma City.
An orthopaedic surgeon is a medical doctor with extensive training in
the diagnosis and nonsurgical as well as surgical
treatment of the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints,
ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerves.
The 17,000-member American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is a
not-for-profit organization that provides education
programs for orthopaedic surgeons, allied health professionals, and the
public and is an advocate for improved patient care.
The Academy's annual meeting continues through February 26 at the
Georgia World Congress Center.
Exercises
(at the start of each shift and after each break)
Extend and stretch both wrists and fingers acutely as if they are in a
hand-stand position. Hold for a count of 5.
Straighten both wrists and relax fingers.
Make a tight fist with both hands.
Then bend both wrists down while keeping the fist. Hold for a count of 5.
Straighten both wrists and relax fingers, for a count of 5.
Repeat exercise 10 times, then hang arms loosely at side and shake them
for a couple of seconds. Total exercise time: 5-10
minutes.
Source: Poster exhibit D-29, annual meeting, American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons, Feb. 25, 1996.
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