Frequency of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Related Functional Status in Computer Operators

Abstract

Objective: To find out the frequency of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) and associated functional limitations in computer operators. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the premises of DUHS, Ojha Campus, Karachi. The duration of study is from 1st Dec 2019 to 29th February 2020. Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ) was used to evaluate the frequency of CTS in computer users, total sample size taken was 95 including males 65 and females 30 between the age group of 25 to 50 years that were working on the current job for more than 2 years with computer usage of greater than 3 hours, members that were <25 or >50 years were excluded from the study. Results: The study indicated that based on the severity of symptoms, the frequency of CTS in computer operators is 35.8% which is out of the total research population of 95, 34 people who suffer from CTS leading to functional limitations. Moreover, according to the functional status scale, 23.0% (N=22) of the study population exhibited severe functional limitations whereas mild to moderate difficulty in performing day-to-day activities was found to be 55.8% (N=53) and 21.1% (N=20) respectively. Conclusion: This study survey indicated that using a computer for long hours results in developing CTS symptoms with increased severity and profound functional limitations, also the likelihood of developing CTS symptoms increases with increasing age irrespective of gender.