Can a lot of keyboard typing have any bad affects on your hands in later life?

Question

I spend 5 or six hours typing every day - Am I at extra risk of arthritis, carpel tunnell, repetitive strain?

Sometimes during hard typing session, I get slight pains in my hands.

Please don't just guess, I want someone who knows for a fact

Answer 1

Typing, whether on a conventional typewriter or a computer keyboard...and for that matter texting on a mobile/cell phone, most certainly does affect your hands and can happen at any age. If you are already getting pains in your hands then you need to talk to a doctor about it before it gets any worse. Your doctor can recommend the best course of action for your particular circumstances.

Because of carpal tunnel syndrome, I had BOTH my hands operated on a week before Christmas. They have healed well and I no longer have the pain and numbness, coupled with pins and needles, that I was getting before the operations.

Answer 2

Absolutely, it can. Lots of typing doesn't guarantee you will develop problems, but it does increase the chances of damage.

You can reduce the risk in several ways. First - make sure you have proper posture. Second, use ergonomically designed equipment - the keyboard, the chair, and the desk should be adjustable if possible so that they can be set at an optimum height for you. Go search for ergonomics, and see what you can find. I'm not enough of an expert in the details to tell you how to set up your work area, but I have seen several people in my office with problems from this, enough to know it can happen.

Answer 3

I have arthritis in both hands, i am now 50 years old and was a typist when I left school until my early 30s and the doctor said it was the typing but in those days keyboards were not invented it was the old style typewriters - not even electric ones.

Answer 4

Yes, it is a medical fact that repetitive motions over a period of time do, in fact, cause all of the maladies u mentioned. Every magazine I read usually has an article about this. I know lots of women who have worked in offices for yrs .that do have one or all of these problems. I have known factory workers that had to use repetitve motions all day long on their job that also has these problems, just not from typing --any repetitive use of the hands over a period of yrs. will absolutely cause u problems.

Answer 5

Yes it can have negative effects on your hands when you get older. It can cause arthritis and carpel tunnel. It can also strain your wrist. Adjusting your posture and aligning your wrist properly is important. Getting mouse pads and wrist supports to assist you can help also.

Answer 6

yes all of that.........take care of it before it gets too bad. you can buy over the counter hand and wrist braces at your local drug store that will support you when on the computer, and you need to sleep in them--that is what my doctor did for me, now I am looking a surgery....but try the braces and if not any better go to the doc and they can run tests to tell what's going on--also do your hands go to sleep often while typing? does any other activity hurt? if you have CTS you will know because the pain is so severe only a doctor or someone with CTS would understand......are you having pains in your elbows? that is another symptom of CTS............

Answer 7

RSI (Repeatative Strain Injury) is a common affect of using keyboards, mainly on the wrist area.

Ive never heard of it affecting people in later life though!

Computers havent been around long enough to affect anyone in later i think !!!!

Answer 8

yes you could develope carpul tunnel syndrome or repetative strain injury. you should have a pad at the foot of your keyboard to help reduce the strain on your wrists.

Answer 9

Here is a site which will tell you how to refrain from getting injuries from typing, although it does suggest that posture, chair hight etc. are more likely to be responsible.