Tips For Students And Working Professionals To Prevent Carpal Tunnel
In today's digital world, prolonged typing, texting, and repetitive hand movements have made carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) a growing concern, especially among students and working professionals. CTS occurs when the median nerve, which runs through the carpal tunnel in your wrist, becomes compressed. Symptoms like tingling, numbness, and weakness in the hand and fingers can impact daily functioning. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), early preventive measures and ergonomic awareness can significantly reduce your risk. Whether you're working on a laptop or writing notes for hours, here are practical tips to protect your hands and wrists.
Consistent strain can lead to long-term wrist damage
Carpal tunnel syndrome doesn't develop overnight, it builds over time due to repetitive stress on the wrist. Poor posture, improper hand positioning, and lack of breaks can all contribute. Students and professionals are particularly vulnerable due to extended hours at computers and smartphones. However, the good news is that small daily changes can prevent the problem altogether.
1. Maintain proper wrist posture
Keep your wrists in a neutral, straight position when typing or writing. Avoid bending them up or down. An ergonomic keyboard or wrist pad can help maintain the right alignment, reducing pressure on the median nerve.
2. Take frequent breaks
Follow the 20-20-20 rule not just for your eyes, but your hands too. Every 20 minutes, pause for 20 seconds and stretch or shake out your hands. This reduces strain and improves circulation.
3. Use correct typing techniques
Type lightly and avoid pounding the keys. Keep your hands floating above the keyboard, with fingers relaxed. Avoid resting your wrists on hard surfaces while working, which can compress the nerves.
4. Stretch and strengthen your hands
Simple exercises like wrist circles, finger stretches, or squeezing a stress ball improve flexibility and reduce stiffness. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), regular stretching can prevent carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms in high-risk individuals.
5. Adjust your workstation ergonomically
Ensure your screen is at eye level, chair height supports your lower back, and your elbows are at a 90-degree angle when typing. Poor desk setup is a key contributor to wrist and shoulder strain.
6. Limit continuous smartphone use
Prolonged texting or gaming on mobile phones can stress your thumb and wrist. Use voice-to-text features when possible and take breaks from scrolling. Use both hands while typing on phones to distribute the load evenly.
7. Stay physically active
A sedentary lifestyle worsens carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. General physical activity promotes circulation, reduces inflammation, and helps maintain a healthy weight, all factors that indirectly benefit wrist health.
8. Be mindful of early warning signs
Tingling, numbness, or pain in your thumb, index, or middle fingers, especially at night, can indicate early carpal tunnel syndrome. Don't ignore these signs. Early intervention can prevent worsening and the need for surgery.
9. Wear a wrist splint at night if needed
For those already experiencing mild symptoms, wearing a splint can keep the wrist in a neutral position while sleeping. This helps reduce night-time numbness and discomfort.
10. Stay hydrated and maintain a balanced diet
Inflammation can worsen nerve compression. A diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens, berries, turmeric, and omega-3s may help. Stay well-hydrated to keep tendons and joints lubricated.
Prevention is better than treatment
Carpal tunnel syndrome can be painful and even disabling if left unchecked. Students and professionals should adopt a proactive approach by integrating ergonomic habits, movement, and hand care into their daily routines. As per the National Health Service (NHS UK), early awareness and prevention are key to avoiding chronic wrist conditions.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
19 minutes ago
- CNN
Analysis: Trump's top general just undercut his ‘invasion' claims
One of the problems with making a series of brazen and hyperbolic claims is that it can be hard to keep everyone on your team on the same page. And few Trump administration claims have been as brazen as the idea that the Venezuelan government has engineered an invasion of gang members into the United States. This claim forms the basis of the administration's controversial efforts to rapidly deport a bunch of people it claimed were members of the gang Tren de Aragua – without due process. But one of the central figures responsible for warding off such invasions apparently didn't get the memo. At a Senate hearing Wednesday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine acknowledged that the United States isn't currently facing such a threat. 'I think at this point in time, I don't see any foreign state-sponsored folks invading,' Caine said in response to Democratic questioning. This might sound like common sense; of course the United States isn't currently under invasion by a foreign government. You'd probably have heard something about that on the news. But the administration has said – repeatedly and in court – that it has been. When Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport migrants without due process, that law required such a foreign 'invasion' or 'predatory incursion' to make his move legal. And Trump said that's what was happening. 'The result is a hybrid criminal state that is perpetrating an invasion of and predatory incursion into the United States, and which poses a substantial danger to the United States,' reads the proclamation from Trump. It added that Tren de Aragua's actions came 'both directly and at the direction, clandestine or otherwise, of the Maduro regime in Venezuela.' So the White House said Tren de Aragua was acting in concert with the Maduro regime to invade; Caine now says 'state-sponsored folks' aren't invading. Some flagged Caine's comment as undermining Trump's claims of a foreign 'invasion' in Los Angeles. Trump has regularly applied that word to undocumented migrants. But the inconsistency is arguably more significant when it comes to Trump's claims about the Venezuelan migrants. Perhaps the administration would argue that Trump has halted the invasion and it is no longer happening; Caine was speaking in the present tense. Caine did go on to cite others who might have different views. 'But I'll be mindful of the fact that there has been some border issues throughout time, and defer to DHS who handles the border along the nation's contiguous outline,' he said. But if an invasion had been happening recently, it seems weird not to mention that. And if the invasion is over, that would seem to undercut the need to keep trying to use the Alien Enemies Act. The Department of Homeland Security is certainly not in the camp of no invasion. On Wednesday, DHS posted on Facebook an image with Uncle Sam that reads: 'Report all foreign invaders' with a phone number for ICE. When asked about the image and whether the use of the term 'foreign invaders' had been used previously, DHS pointed CNN to a number of posts from White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller using terms like 'invade' or 'invaders' when referring to undocumented immigrants. Plenty of Trump administration figures have gone to bat for this claim. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said soon after Trump's proclamation that Tren de Aragua gang members 'have been sent here by the hostile Maduro regime in Venezuela.' Then-national security adviser Michael Waltz claimed Maduro was emptying his prisons 'in a proxy manner to influence and attack the United States.' We soon learned that the intelligence community had concluded Venezuela had not directed the gang. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood by Trump's claim. 'Yes, that's their assessment,' Rubio said last month about the intelligence community. 'They're wrong.' Trump administration border czar Tom Homan has said the gang was an 'arm of the Maduro regime,' and that Maduro's regime was 'involved with sending thousands of Venezuelans to this country to unsettle it.' The question of Venezuela's purported involvement actually hasn't been dealt with much by the courts. A series of judges have moved to block the administration's Alien Enemies Act gambit, but they've generally ruled that way because of the lack of an 'invasion' or 'predatory incursion' – without delving much into the more complex issue of whether such a thing might somehow have ties to Maduro's government. One of the judges to rule in that fashion was a Trump appointee, US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. So the intelligence community and a bunch of judges – including a Trump-appointed one – have rebutted the claim the underlies this historic effort to set aside due process. And now, the man Trump installed as his top general seems to have undercut it too.
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ananda Lewis dead at 52: Former MTV VJ battled stage four breast cancer after refusing double mastectomy
Ananda Lewis had died at the age of 52 after losing her nearly seven-year battle with breast cancer. The former MTV VJ — also known for The Ananda Lewis Show and her work on The Insider — passed away on Wednesday, June 11, according to a Facebook post made by her sister Lakshmi Emory. Lakshmi shared a black and white portrait of Ananda with the caption: "She's free, and in His heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul [prayer emoji]' Ananda announced to fans in late 2020 that she'd been privately battling stage 3 breast cancer for two years. She also admitted that she'd avoided getting regular mammograms due to fear of radiation exposure. Last October, Ananda confirmed that her cancer had advanced to stage IV after deciding not to undergo a double mastectomy when she was first diagnosed. She told CNN that she had originally planned to 'keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way.' But when her tumor eventually metastasized, Ananda realized that she probably 'should have' gone through with the life-saving surgery.
20 minutes ago
Protests live updates: At least 5 criminal cases related to LA protests, DA says
Tensions are escalating between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement continue to grip Los Angeles and spread to New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Austin, Texas, and other cities. LA Mayor Karen Bass issued an overnight curfew for about 1 square mile in downtown LA, which has been the site of clashes between police and protesters over the last five days. Trump deployed 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to LA against the wishes of Newsom and Bass. Newsom sued the Trump administration, saying they unlawfully "trampled over" California's sovereignty when they federalized the California National Guard.
