Bring disaster to your hands because of… computer mouse

A small computer mouse has many useful features at work but can lead to a very dangerous peripheral nerve disorder that many office workers are experiencing without knowing it.

That is computer mouse syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome. This disease, if diagnosed and treated late, will lead to complications such as numbness and pain in the arm, blood circulation disorders and hand muscle atrophy, nerve atrophy with a very low recovery rate.

The dangers of typing and mouse movement!

First of all, it is important to understand that computer mouse syndrome (also known as carpal tunnel syndrome) occurs when the median nerve in the wrist is compressed too much. Office workers who “do not have rain on their face or sun on their head” seem to be happy, but they are at high risk of developing this syndrome.

Using the keyboard and mouse frequently and for long periods of time will cause numbness, swelling, pain, and cramps in the wrist muscles or joints.

Computer mouse syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome is common in office workers.

People with carpal tunnel syndrome will have difficulty holding objects firmly… When waking up in the morning or when riding a motorbike, many patients report feeling pain and numbness in their fingers, even to the point of dropping spoons and chopsticks while eating or drinking.

If not treated early and continue to use the computer, the patient may encounter many dangerous complications such as: damaged wrist nerves, muscle necrosis, hands turning dark black... At this time, the patient not only suffers from pain but also has reduced ability to work, becoming a burden for the family and society.

Start with simple symptoms

If you experience the following typical symptoms, think about computer mouse syndrome (carpal tunnel syndrome):

Numbness, burning, or pain in the fingers, especially in the thumb.
It feels like an electric shock, especially in the thumb and nearby fingers.
Pain and numbness may radiate to the entire hand or even to the wrist and forearm but rarely past the elbow to the shoulder.

Because these symptoms typically begin gradually without any specific injury, many patients are subjective and mistakenly think that this is just a condition of hand fatigue after a day of using the computer a lot.

For example, Ms. NTHa Ly (35 years old, bank employee) said that she started to feel a tingling sensation in her thumb and index finger a few months ago but did not go for a check-up. “I thought it was because I had to do a report on the computer all day, so my hands were tired. After that, my work decreased so I felt normal again, and continued to type on the computer for 8 hours a day. About 2 months later, I had more pain and could not hold objects firmly. Only then did I go to the doctor and find out that I had computer mouse syndrome.”

The disease often begins slowly with mild symptoms such as pain, numbness, tingling in the fingers...

Sharing about this issue, the orthopedic specialists at Thu Cuc International General Hospital said that not only are they subjective, many patients with computer mouse syndrome also mistakenly believe that these symptoms are due to rheumatism and seek treatment from Eastern and Western medicine. Because they are not the right medicine for the disease, it is both expensive and ineffective. When the disease progresses to a complicated stage, it is too late to go to the hospital for treatment.

Should be treated as soon as possible

For mild cases of computer mouse syndrome, patients only need to rest their hands more often and apply cold compresses to reduce pain and swelling.

In cases where the disease has progressed severely, the patient may be prescribed medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, local or oral corticosteroid injections... Surgery may be chosen when the patient has severe nerve compression damage and severe muscle atrophy.

Get examined and treated immediately when there are suspicious signs to avoid serious complications that affect both your health and future ability to work.

Advice from the doctor

Computer mouse syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome is a common disease but few people pay attention to it and when the disease becomes severe, it can be very dangerous. Therefore, people who work in offices or other professions that use their wrists a lot should take the initiative to prevent and get examined immediately when there are signs of suspicion.

According to VNN