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Not A Creature Was
Stirring...
By
Victoria L. Magown,
CMTPT, LMT and George S. Pellegrino, LMT, CMTPT
"...not
even a mouse", or so the story goes. There was a time when the word
mouse referred to a small furry rodent. Now, when we use the word
mouse, it conjures up a different image in our mind. Those of us, who
spend hours sitting in front of a computer wondering where our aches and
pains come from, have a different image of the word mouse.
The use
of a mouse, keyboard or 10 keypad for hours at a time can cause an
injury no less painful than those sustained by truck drivers,
carpenters, bricklayers, etc. As early as 1951, an industrial disease
called Occupational Myalgia referred to injuries specific to muscles
involved in the use of another modern miracle, the typewriter. Not much
has changed.
Keying
on a keyboard or using a mouse requires constant contraction of the
muscles in the hand, forearm, upper arm and shoulder. To know what this
feels like, try holding your arm out in front of you for as long as you
can. After only a few minutes, you'll notice a burning pain somewhere
in your shoulder. This is what happens when you keep muscles contracted
for a long period of time as when working at the computer.
Rachel,
a bookkeeper, came to MyoRehab with tingling and pain in her right hand
and pain in the forearm, upper arm and shoulder. She had been suffering
with this
problem for 2 years with no relief from anti-inflammatory medications or
other types of therapy.
Many
practitioners treated the obvious muscles of the hand and forearm with
modest success, but the pain persisted. One possible reason for this
could have been failure to treat the less obvious muscles, the
subscapularis (Illustration A) and the pectoralis minor (Illustration
B).
Notice
the pain pattern of the subscapularis. This muscle attaches to the
front surface of the shoulder blade and extends out to the front of the
shoulder. The pain pattern for this muscle is the back of the shoulder
and most notably, the wrist.
The
other key muscle, the pectoralis minor, lies under the pectoralis
major. It assists in moving the shoulder forward and also pulls it
down. When Rachel used the mouse or keyboard, the constant motion of
the shoulder kept the pectoralis minor contracted. The nerves and
arteries of the arms and hands pass under the pectoralis minor as they
travel down the arm to the hand. When this muscle is contracted it can
restrict blood flow and press on the nerves causing tingling and
numbness.
After
treating these muscles and giving Rachel a specific Home Exercise
Program, her pain was gone. She also reported that the tingling and
numbness in her hand had completely disappeared. Rachel was delighted
that she could now type pain-free.
A key
part of the success with Rachel’s treatment was addressing factors that
perpetuated her pain. She learned that using a mouse would aggravate
her shoulder pain. Switching to a track ball gave her more permanent
relief. Additionally, changing the position of the keyboard such that
it was closer to her body allowed her elbows to be at a more neutral 90°
angle. The track ball was also positioned on the same level as her
keyboard.
Another
important change was the position of her calculator. She had been
turning her body to the left and reaching behind her to use the
calculator on another desk. Now, she understands the importance of
keeping all her equipment within easy reach so as not to overstress the
muscles. When Rachel made these adjustments, she no longer had
difficulty with recurring pain and aching in her hands, forearms, upper
arms and shoulders.
Is there a mouse in your life causing you
pain? Give us a call at MyoRehab
OR click here to set up your thirty minute consultation |
