Inventory Taking: Occupational Health Hazard?

Have you been experiencing some sort of burning, swelling, tingling, numbness, loss of dexterity and weakness from both or either of your hands as a result of prolonged, repetitious data entry, 10-key, repetitive barcode scanning, especially while doing retail inventories? Guess what? You are one of the millions who are suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).

Some Numbers

In 2008, more than 67 million in the US alone suffer from CTS. Out of 67 million, around 27 million people have visited or have seeked medical help. The remaining 40 million have experienced symptoms such as the ones I have mentioned above, but DIDN'T seek medical help.

CTS operation is the second most common work related surgical procedure in the United States alone. OSHA shows that CTS has the highest median days away from work, even greater than fractures or even amputations. In fact, if you happened to subscribe to CTCNews magazine, a survey tells that CTS is the costliest Cumulative Trauma Disorder, with back injuries second.

If we translate that cost into monetary values, the overall cost could reach an astronomical USD60,000+ per incident.

What is CTS, What are common causes, and who are at risk?

The most common groups that have the highest risk of this syndrome are the following: computer users, inventory takers, stock clerks, warehouse workers, transcriptionists, writers, bank tellers, data entry clerks, construction workers, CAD and graphic designers, programmers, assembly-line workers, etc. But the culprit could also be detected or diagnosed from any individual whose job requires manual heavy lifting as well.

image courtesy from thehelpinghand.com

The Carpal Tunnel (pink area) is made up of several bones (white) connected by ligaments. The largest of which is the Transverse Carpal Ligament (blue). These structures form the perimeter of a passage through it's center called the carpal tunnel (also called the carpal canal). These soft tissues swell, especially the tendons (red) and the protective sheaths that cover them when they are overused (RSI) due to repetitive tasks, friction, and forceful movements.

When these happen, the usual symptoms are: fatigue, pain, weakness, woss of dexterity, stiffness, cramping, and numbness with cold, burning or tingling sensations associated with it. For a more complete definition of the term and general causes, please visit WebMd.

How to avoid, prevent, or cure CTS?



Since inventory taking is the job of an Inventory Taker, we don't have that much options. In fact it is something that everybody in this industry can expect it to happen at some point at a certain degree. If you are an inventory taker, and have a case of CTS, the only thing I could think right now is for you visit your doctor if you haven't done so, and seek medical advice. And you go from there. Or if you feel it is really bothering your health, and other chores, apply for a different position from your company that does not require you to perform data entry, barcode scanning, or any other repetitive tasks. Or, if your company is in Inventory industry, you might consider searching for jobs that are non-related.

But, the question remains, what if you don't have that much choice and you need to stick to your job for a while? I can understand especially when 10-key or data entry is the main ingredient in your resume. Well, in that case, doctors tell us that we can reduce the instance or the frequency of occurence of CTS. The length and complexity of treatment or therapy depends totally on the gravity and frequency of your activity. So, the logical questions would be: How can we reduce the instance of CTS and if I have serious CTS, how can I deal about it?

"The length and complexity of treatment
depends entirely on the gravity and
frequency of your activity. "

Prevention is always far better than remedy. However, there are common treatments to lessen the gravity of the symptoms of CTS.

• When you go to bed, make sure to sleep with the affected wrists straight and free from body weight. 
• When you are working, make every effort to minimize any repetitive motions or chores and rest the affected wrist(s) at a predefined interval. You don't have to wait until you feel a pain in order to rest your wrists. 
• As much as possible, avoid flexing the affected wrist(s) repeatedly. 
• Before you begin to work, make a habit to warm up or condition your hands and wrists. 
• A correct position of the hands and wrists can help reduce the frequency of the pain. 
• When you are doing data entry, use an ergonomically designed keyboard and chair. A good sitting position can help reduce symptoms. 

More advanced treatments

More conventional treatments that I didn't mention from the above list include: Use a splint to immobilize any wrist movements. This is to minimize or prevent pressures on the wrist nerves that were affected. Also, wear a doctor recommended brace when at work. Also, you can either wear splints or braces at night. It helps support the wrists in a comfortable position and can relieve painful or tingling sensations. In fact it is the best time to use splint since the wrists are in complete rest.

"Wearing splints at night help accelerate relief because wrists are in complete rest."

When you visit your doctor, you may be given short courses of anti-inflammatory drugs or injections of steroids in your affected wrists to reduce swelling. Injections provide temporary relief and are best reserved for people who have carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of an acute (severe) flare-up of tenosynovitis. If you happened to be pregnant, CTS often resolves within a few months after delivery.

Severe Treatments

If CTS does not respond to conservative treatment, then surgery is the next logical option. It is always best to consult your doctor prior to any surgery. In most cases, your doctor will determine whether or not a surgical operation will be needed. In some case, it also necessary to seek a second expert opinion. During the surgical operation, surgeons will open the carpal tunnel (refer diagram above) and cut the ligament at the bottom of the wrist, relieving the pressure. A surgery is quite effective when the condition involves only nerve constriction. Relief of painful symptoms is excellent and nerve degeneration is almost always reversible.

As part of post-surgical therapy, doctors will determine how long the recovery process end and the number of visits your doctors will require you. The purpose of the whole process is for you to get back to work as close as your original condition prior you had those symptoms, and be efficient as you always wanted to be.