So you’ve decided to go back to college and enroll in an online school. As an online student, chances are you’ll be spending a lot of time at your computer which could lead to tendonitis and capal tunnel syndrome if you’re not careful. We caught up with Physician’s Assistant Randy Archibald from Tri-City Medical to get some tips on how to prevent injury.
7 Ways to Prevent Tendonitis and Carpal Tunnel for Online Students
- Assume good posture and an ergonomic neutral position. Make sure your keyboard is level with your forearms so you don’t have to be reaching up or down to type. Adjust your seat accordingly.
- Rotate through tasks. If you know you’ll be doing two hours of typing, break it up into four 30 minute segments through your study session so you’re not typing for two hours straight.
- Stretch regularly. Engaging in daily stretching will help prevent repetitive strain injuries (RSI). Take care not to overstretch or engage in stretching that causes pain. The illustrations below are from “Stretching in the Office” by Bob and Jean Anderson. You can download a PDF of stretching exercises here.
- Take Ibuprofen. If your wrists are bothering you, take a couple Ibuprofen which will help to reduce inflammation.
- Wear a wrist splint. To give your wrists extra support, wear a wrist splint when you’re studying as well as while sleeping. It might surprise you that many people sleep in positions that can be compromising for their wrists.
- Use ice packs. At the end of the study session, use an ice pack to help soothe the area and reduce swelling. Instead of putting ice directly on your skin, have a thin cloth or paper towel between your skin and the ice.
- See a health care provider. If pain persists after two to three weeks, see a health care provider that can help subscribe physical therapy, prescription medication, or even a visit to an orthopedist who can give you a steroid injection. If the problem persists, you may want to consider surgery.
That wraps up our 7 tips to prevent tendonitis and carpal tunnel for students going back to college! What do you do to prevent injury when on your computer?
Randy Archibald is a Certified Physician’s Assistant who graduated from the University of Washington in 2001. He worked for a family practice for eight years and has spent the last year and a half working at Tri-City Medical Urgent Care full time. Randy has seen over 50,000 patients over the life of his career. Catch up with Randy online at http://tricitymedical.net/ or on Facebook.
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