iagnose carpal tunnel syndrome early in its development leads to more serious manifestations of the condition (Science News, 1990).
There are no reliable data on the frequency of work-related carpal tunnel syndrome in the national general workforce (American Medical Association, 1989). An idea of carpal tunnel syndrome frequency may be gained, however, from the results of a 1988 State of California study that was conducted in Santa Clara County. The study determined that health care professionals in the county were treating 7,214 carpal tunnel syndrome cases at the time the survey was conducted. Of that total there were indications that 3,391 of the cases, or 47 percent, may have been work-related.
The population of Santa Clara County was 1,295,071. Thus, the frequency of carpal tunnel syndrome in the county's population approximated six-tenths of one-percent (.006). Applying this proportion and the proportion of work-related cases in Santa Clara County to the national population would indicate that approximately 1.5 million cases of carpal tunnel syndrome are being treated at any given point in time, and that approximately 705,000 of those cases are work-related. Some studies claim that carpal tunnel syndrome is related to age more than to type of work (Hospital Employee Health, 1989). Nevertheless, more persons are affected in the workplace each year (Mallory, Bradford, & Freundlich, 1989).
The significance of carpal tunnel syndrome derives from two factors. The time lost from work and other normal activities as a consequence of the syndrome pain is both enormous and costly for individuals, employers, and society. Further, individuals afflicted with carpal tunnel syndrome often experience intense suffering.
Carpal tunnel syndrome arises because if chronic compression of the median nerve as it passes through the fibro-osseous carpal tunnel (Rakel, 1991). The syndrome occurs when the median nerve is entrappe...