Physiotherapy Sydney Concern: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in the Workplace

Physiotherapy Sydney has its place in the workplace, where occupational risks occur in almost all occupations. Every job, no matter how safe it appears to be, has its own risks, to which the employee can’t escape to suffer. Workers do repetitive tasks which, if no adjustments are made in their working environment, could lead them to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful hand and wrist disorder that can affect worker’s productivity.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome’s Toll in Productivity

Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common occupational health hazards affecting millions of workers worldwide. This is a disorder workers can easily identify. Not only anxiety disorder can cost the government millions in lost productivity, but carpal tunnel syndrome can also make up a fraction of that loss too.

CTS is more likely based on the physical demands of specific jobs, main reason that certain jobs have higher reported cases of CTS than other jobs. Certain occupations that require repetitive wrist motions carry a greater risk for carpal tunnel syndrome. Excessive use of vibrating hand tools may also contribute to hand and wrist discomfort.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is very common among workers in the manufacturing, cleaning, finishing, sewing, and packaging industries. It is more noticeable among assemblers in a factory than among data entry staff. Bakers, cashiers, drivers, hairdressers, painters, musicians, knitters or sewers are examples of people whose tasks involve continual wrist motions associated with the syndrome.

Certain work-related activities can lead to CTS:

• Repetitive hand/wrist motions
• Improper hand/wrist positions
• Strong, forceful gripping of work tools
• Mechanical stress on the palm
• Vibration (using vibrating tools)

How Workers Can Prevent CTS

Every job includes repetitive tasks, which means that everyone could be at risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome. There are methods you can apply to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome aggravating at work:

• Observe proper body posture and work position at the workplace.
• Don’t rest your hands on hard surfaces for too long.
• If you are frequently using a computer or cash register, adjust the height of your chair, so your forearms would level with your computer or cash register, and you won’t have to bend your wrists to press the keys.
• Stretch to warm up your muscles, joints, and tendons.
• Take frequents short breaks, not just coffee breaks, from repetitive hand movements to allow your hands and wrists time to rest.
• Keep your hands warm at work.
• Rearrange your work station ergonomically. Place your desk and chair, PC, paperwork, and other equipment and tools at the proper place and distance. Ensure you feel comfortable at work and while doing your work.
• Rotate or alternate doing your tasks.
• Change your body positions frequently while performing your tasks throughout the day.

Safety first – the expression still holds true at work. You should not only concern for yourself on how well you accomplish a task at work, but also how safe you come out after completing the task. What’s the point of being proud of an accomplishment when you have a serious case of carpal tunnel syndrome afterwards?

Disasters and injuries at work can occur anytime, and any employee can either cause a serious accident or fall victim to it. There is always the stress and pain in each job. If the employee can’t shake the stress off or endure the pain, he will not perform properly and his production will suffer. Management should always ensure their employees are healthy at all aspects to carry their job functions.

Finding Pain Relief through Physiotherapy Sydney

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a nagging pain affecting many employees and workers in Sydney. Employers cannot let their staff work if the latter suffers hand pain. In this case, they should make the necessary ergonomically adjustments at work and send their affected staff to physiotherapy Sydney for treatment. There are many physiotherapists in Sydney that can help workers reduce their CTS pain and provide therapies and tool to manage their pain.