Wrist Pain from Typing: How Can You Avoid it?

Along with lower back pain, wrist pain from typing affects a considerable percentage of people on a daily basis. After all, many jobs imply typing for prolonged periods, and we often continue doing so after we're done with our responsibilities for different reasons. Either way, continuous typing can lead to wrist pain.

If your hands hurt from typing, there are diverse factors to analyze. Diverse problems can be the cause, including illnesses, spine curve changes or injuries and many other conditions. Sometimes, dealing with these situations can make your hand pain from typing even worse.

Statistics have revealed that more than half of workers deal with or have suffered repetitive strain injuries, which are mainly caused by repetitive motion.

The first step to act toward a problem is to get to know its causes. Thus, you can avoid being part of this statistic by getting familiar with the sources of sore wrists from typing and its potential solutions.

We'll discuss the main causes, risk factors, and potential solutions to wrist pain from typing throughout this article.

Common Causes of Wrist Pain

For starters, one of the most common causes of this issue may be incorrect or even excessive typing. It can also be related to mouse usage and posture. However, keyboards tend to be the main responsible when it comes to repetitive strain injuries.

With that being said, repetitive strain injuries can happen in all individuals, but certain conditions may worsen your symptoms and or make you more vulnerable to hand pain from writing.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that may cause pain or numbness. It may also lead to weakness or tingling in your hands or wrists in certain individuals. This condition becomes present when your tendons become swollen, which will eventually start compressing a nerve in your wrist. There is a treatment for this condition, but it may need surgery to be corrected in severe cases.

Cubital tunnel syndrome

Cubital tunnel syndrome is quite similar to carpal tunnel syndrome, but the causes are different. Instead of swollen tendons in your wrist, cubital tunnel syndrome becomes present when swollen tendons start compressing your elbow nerves. Likewise, it leads to intense pain and discomfort while you’re typing.

Arthritis

Arthritis can be as common as cubital tunnel and carpal tunnel. However, it tends to be a more serious problem as it directly affects your joints and can be present in different areas of your body, not only your wrists. Common symptoms of this affliction include pain, stiffness and swelling in the affected areas.

There are different variations of this condition, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The origin of each arthritis type is different:

• Osteoarthritis is a natural condition that may appear as people age due to wear and tear.
• Rheumatoid arthritis is caused when the immune system attacks your body tissues. Hence, it is an auto-immune disease.

NOTE: It’s not recommended to self-diagnose. If you suspect that you may suffer from one of the conditions described above, we recommend you to visit a physician.

How to Fix Wrist Pain from Typing

IF you often feel discomfort and pain while you’re typing, you can be glad that there are solutions for your problem. While the options won’t fix it straight away, some of the following options can help you reduce the intensity of your symptoms so you can feel relieved and comfortable while you’re working.

Equip your workstation with ergonomic accessories

There are different accessories available in the modern-day that were designed specifically to help you when your hands hurt from typing, such as mouse wrist pads, like the Deltahub Carpio. At first, you may be skeptical about the use of these items, but after testing them for a while, you'll start feeling relief.

While mouse pads with wrist rests exist, these are not the only options you should consider. You can also prevent wrist pain from typing if you purchase a wrist rest for your keyboard. Some keyboards already integrate one into their structure. You can also take a look at the best wrist rests available so you can find the perfect option for your case.

Hand and wrist exercises

You can also improve your well-being with hand and wrist exercises. It may sound odd, but it truly works if you make a habit out of it. These exercises will allow you to release the tension accumulated in your hands, wrists and fingers, allowing you to feel more comfortable once it's time to get back to work.

Sit appropriately at your desk

It is also important to evaluate your sitting habits if you often deal with wrist pain. Take into account the following considerations:

• While sitting, you should keep your head, torso and back completely erect. This way, your weight will be dispersed evenly throughout your body.
• Your computer screen should be at your eye level.
• Ultimately, make sure your chair is appropriately adjusted so you can keep your keyboard slightly below your elbows.
• While you’re using your keyboard, make sure that your hands are placed in a straight line. You shouldn’t keep your arms on the armrest while you’re typing. It will make your symptoms worse. Your hands should be slightly below eye level, and your wrists should be either flat or slightly bent to the backside.

Keeping up with these habits and the proper wrist position for typing can be a bit complicated at first, but with practice and perseverance, you'll see how much you'll improve your well-being during the upcoming days.

Recommendations

The advice described above can help you feel more comfortable for a while, but it won’t be a “magical” solution to your wrist problem from typing. Here are other recommendations you can consider:

• Don't type continuously for prolonged periods or stay in the same position for too long. Every 30 minutes or so, try to take breaks to prevent worsening your posture. The Pomodoro technique can help you with this purpose.
• Keep changing your position as you work to improve your comfort.

Again, if your wrist pain from typing persists, visit a physician as soon as possible to receive proper treatment and avoid serious conditions.