Years ago, when Karen Jacobs was pregnant with her son Josh, she developed carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), suffering through numbness and tingling in both of her wrists and hands. These days, she still has symptoms in her right side but says she has made them manageable by applying best practices of ergonomics—without the need for surgery or other medical interventions. Jacobs is an occupational therapist, board-certified ergonomist, and clinical professor at Boston University, and her experience and advice offer hope for others who are feeling numbness, tingling, tenderness, or pain in their hands or arms—or are concerned about getting carpal tunnel syndrome.
The good news is, it doesn’t have to cost a lot to mitigate this potentially debilitating and common condition, which affects people who use their computer or mobile devices all day, work with power tools, or otherwise hold their arms and hands in difficult positions that can cause strain. Many of the items below are essential for proper posture, too, whether or not you have CTS.
The most important thing you can do, according to Jacobs and other ergonomic experts, is to take breaks. Ideally, you should get up and move every 20 minutes, untethering yourself from your computer and anything else that aggravates your carpal tunnel, a passage in your wrist for the median nerve, which runs the length of your arm into your hand.
Many time-tracking apps, such as , come with a pomodoro timer that encourages you to work in short sprints and take frequent breaks. Or you could ask Google on your phone or Google Home speaker, or Alexa on the Amazon Echo Dot with the Tomato Helper skill, to remind you to take a break every 20 minutes. (Siri can remind you every hour.)
Whichever method you use, just remember to take those breaks. “Rest during and after work is important,” says Peter Keir, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario. “Sounds simple, but we tend to push it when we need rest. Do you take your break each hour when a deadline is looming? Most of us don’t. Under this type of stress, there is evidence that muscle activity tends to be higher as well—so we don’t take rest when we need it the most.”
A Blue Yeti USB microphone on a wooden surface.
I once injured my right wrist, which made it impossible for me to type efficiently—a serious issue when I was working as a full-time freelance writer with tight deadlines. Thankfully, speech recognition is available on desktop computers and mobile devices (look in the accessibility settings to set it up). I used the Google Docs voice typing feature to get my writing done without further straining my wrist.
If you need greater accuracy and quicker transcription from voice to text, consider investing in less cheap-ish things such as Dragon speech-recognition software (Windows), which starts at $150 for home use. Pair that with a great or headset for the ultimate in hands-free work at your computer.
The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard on a desk.
“Frankly, anything that promotes neutral postures is ideal,” Keir says. Keep your arms by your sides and your forearms and wrists parallel to the floor or slightly inclined toward your lap. A split ergonomic keyboard like the is angled to keep your wrists in a more comfortable, neutral position. Keyboards without a number pad are also better for your posture because they don’t force you to extend your arm to move your mouse.
If you find that your keyboard is so high that you have to angle your fingers upward, consider installing a keyboard tray or getting an adjustable desk (the best ones aren’t cheap-ish, though) to lower the height appropriately.
