Do you get pain on the outside of your elbow and your forearms every time you type? You may have tennis elbow from typing!
Tennis elbow / lateral elbow pain refers to the pain you get in the outside of your elbow and forearm muscles. This is also called tendinopathy, where the tendon that attaches muscle to your bone, does not cope with the load that is put on it. This can occur on an elbow that is underused (sedentary lifestyle, with a sudden increase in the intensity of activity), or overused (using the muscle over an extensive amount of time without giving rest).
RIGHT VS WRONG
Below are two images which display the right vs the wrong position your wrist must be kept in whilst typing. By keeping the wrist in neutral, you alleviate the tension in the forearm muscle and don’t need to actively contract the muscle to keep typing, hence reducing the pain. Ways to achieve this is making the keyboard flat on your desk or resting your palms on a rolled-up towel.
(Common Improper Typing Postures, Its Effects & How to Fix Them, 2019)
It will also help to take breaks at work every 20-30 minutes to give your hands a rest, and perform some stretches to relax the muscles. Using a heat pack can also relieve pain temporarily to get you through you working day.
Please call one of our facilities to have a chat to our physiotherapists and control your pain now!
Lee, S. Y., Chieh, H. F., Lin, C. J., Jou, I. M., Kuo, L. C., & Su, F. C. (2016). The Potential Risk Factors Relevant to Lateral Epicondylitis by Wrist Coupling Posture. PloS one, 11(5), e0155379. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155379
Common Improper Typing Postures, Its Effects & How to Fix Them. (2019, March). Retrieved from Floof Bloof: https://www.floofbloof.com/blogs/news/common-improper-postures-at-work-its-effects-how-to-fix-them
