Attention Computer Users – Comprehensive Guide for Wrist Injuries and Their Prevention

In this digital era, computers are known to be an integral part of our daily lives. No matter if you are using a computer to work or to entertain yourself, the prolonged use of a computer with poor posture can lead to problematic issues. This may include tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or wrist strains. The wrist pain and stiffness are also pretty common among computer users.

However, the good news is that you can maintain wrist health by using a computer without feeling any pain and stiffness in the wrist. This comprehensive guide can help to make your office work more comfortable. Moreover, you will also discover the common wrist injuries and ways to protect your wrist without limiting functionality.

Importance of Wrist Health

There are paramount reasons that determine the importance of wrist health. From daily life activities to overall well-being, wrist health is quite important and integral. Some of the key points that help in highlighting the significance of wrist health are discussed here:

• Functionality: The wrist is one of the most used joints in the human body and is responsible for multiple movements. This includes rotation, flexion, and extension. From typing to driving, you have to take assistance from the wrist joint. If you have poor wrist health, then it can limit your functionality and cause pain.
• Work Productivity: Innumerable individuals spend most of their time on the computer. If you are one of them, then you have to promote wrist health. This is because better wrist health leads to better work productivity. It also hampers the ability of a person to complete daily tasks effectively.
• Quality of Life: If you have wrist pain, then it can impact the quality of daily living in a bad way. It causes discomfort in one’s life and limits functionality. This painful condition further leads to poor quality of life.
• Emotional Well-Being: Emotional stress is likely to happen because of constant wrist pain and limitations. Thus, it is important to maintain a healthy wrist in order to maintain overall emotional health.

Types of Wrist Injuries

Wrist injuries can range from mild to severe injuries and affect multiple anatomical structures present in the wrist. The common wrist injury that every person should be aware of is discussed here:

• Wrist Sprains: When the ligament present in the wrist gets stretched it is termed a wrist strain injury. This can result from sudden wrist motions such as falls and twists. The major symptoms include bruising, pain, and swelling.
• Wrist Fracture: The break in the bones of the wrist is known as a wrist fracture. This typically involves the ulna, radius, and scaphoid.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: It is one of the common wrist injuries. This can happen when the median nerve gets compressed. Tingling and numbness in fingers and hands are common symptoms of CTS.
• Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex: This is a structure that stabilizes the wrists and is also known as TFCC. It can result from trauma and that leads to limited mobility.
• Wrist Dislocation: When bones are forced out of their normal alignment, it can lead to wrist dislocation. This can result from a sudden trauma such as a fall.
• Kienbock’s Disease: It is a rare condition in which the blood supply to the small bone of the wrist known as Lunate, is compromised. It can cause severe pain in the wrist and also affects mobility.
• Wrist Tendinopathy: The repetitive stress on the wrist tendon can lead to inflammation of tendons which is known as wrist tendinopathy.

Ergonomics for Proper Wrist Injury Prevention

If you wish to prevent wrist injuries, you have to pay attention to ergonomics. This can help in promoting overall wrist health. When you work on the computer, the practice of ergonomics can help in reducing the risk of wrist strains and other wrist-related medical conditions. The understated points will help you in practising ergonomics while working:

• Maintain Good Hand Condition

Before anything else, you have to pay attention to the position of your hand. Make sure you use the keyboard and mouse with your wrist in the neutral position. Don’t try to bend the wrist, but try to keep it in a neutral position.

• Use Ergonomic Tools

It is wise to invest in ergonomic tools. You can opt for several types of ergonomic tools such as a keyboard tray and mouse. In order to provide optimal stability to the wrist, you can also use wrist support products. The Thumb wrist support neoprene can provide stability to the wrist.

• Take Frequent Breaks

Don’t work in a repetitive manner without taking a break. Break your task into productive chunks and try to take short breaks. This can help greatly in minimizing the tension and stiffness of your wrist. Moreover, you can also perform gentle stretches to maintain the flexibility of the wrist.

• Posture Correction

Pay attention to your posture while working on the computer. Avoid slouching and use the ergonomic tools that can accommodate the posture of your body. Moreover, to maintain good posture, adjust the eight of your screen, chair, mouse, and keyboard.

Conclusion

As discussed in the article above, computer users need to pay attention to the health of their wrists. In order to boost work productivity and enhance the quality of life, you have to pay attention to your wrist health.

There are several ways to accomplish this task such as the use of wrist support products and taking productive breaks. You have also learned about some of the common wrist injuries which you can avoid with good wrist health.