When you come home after a long day at the office, do you have an electric-like shocking feeling in your hand? Do you have numbness and pain when you hold a phone, or read or drive? Are your hands usually cold? If you do, you should visit your doctor. You may be a potential victim of the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a type of RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) and affects up to 10 percent of the population. It occurs when the wrists are exposed to persistent and repetitive strain. Its consequences are a reduced muscle control, cold hands, the lost or impairment of nervous functions, diminished grip strength, numbness, tingling, pain, and a reduced ability to grasp, pinch and manipulate objects with the hand.
Due to anatomical, physiological and social reasons, working women are more at risk for developing CTS. Congenitally, women have smaller wrists and therefore, a narrower carpal tunnel passage, predisposing it to the development of CTS. Also, some other contributing factors for CTS are pregnancy, menopause and hormonal changes; these produce changes in the soft tissue and swelling of the wrists. Moreover, researchers have established that stress at work can cause women to be more vulnerable to certain tissue changes.
Traditionally, women have occupied positions as secretaries, receptionists, telemarketers, and similar jobs, which demand a lot of repetitive and intensive motion with the hand, eventually provoking CTS. Since there is a relatively low frequency of traumatic injuries in office environments, CTS claimants are not informed about the legal procedures they can follow in order to obtain compensation.
The U.S Department of Health stated that CTS is the "chief occupational hazard of the last century, disabling workers in epidemic proportions". Any worker who develops CTS is legally entitled to receive the comprehensive medical and monetary benefits that correspond. They also have the right to be protected from being harassed or fired by their employer in case of a claim. Basically, in order for a patient to claim compensation from the employer, he/she needs to obtain a medical note in which a doctor specifies the illness, its causes and consequences. This is to prove that the functions delegated in the office affected the condition of the worker. From that moment on, all the legal processes begin and if the client wins, he/she will acquire the right to a substantial economic compensation to cover all the medical treatments.
If employers were willing to implement ergonomic and appropriate health programs, this syndrome would be substantially avoided. Early detection of the symptoms and an effective treatment is the only way to prevent the syndrome. Studies have demonstrated that to modify workstations ergonomically will cost from $100 to $300 per employee; and in this way, employers will reduce the incidence of CTS by 70 percent. Unfortunately, most employers have decided that instead of implementing these programs, they will rather dispose of workers and replace them with younger, healthier individuals.