Prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in computer operators of Peshawar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52442/rjhs.v1i1.12Keywords:
Carpal tunnel syndrome, computer operators, Khyber PakhtunkhwaAbstract
Introduction: Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common peripheral neuropathy. It is a complex of symptoms resulting from compression of median nerve at the carpal tunnel. Symptoms of the median nerve compression include tingling, numbness and pain on the palmer surface of the index, middle or radial half of ring finger, often associated with weakness of hand grip. There seems scarcity of data on the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in computer operators in our province and therefore, this survey was designed to determine prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in Peshawar which is capital of our province.
Material & Method: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted on 247 computer operators working in Peshawar city. A standard data collection tool, Boston Questionnaire, was utilized for data collection. Sample size was calculated using sample calculator (Epi Info) keeping 95% Confidence Interval. Data was collected from the eligible candidates in district Peshawar on the set inclusion criteria. Written consents were taken from all eligible candidates. Data was entered and analyzed by SPSS version 20.
Results: A total population of 247 computer operators (223 males, 24 females) were included in the study. The study was conducted in three different institutes of Peshawar namely; Rehman Medical Institute, Khyber Medical University and Federal Bureau of Revenue situated in Peshawar. The mean age of study population was 39.4 years where 9.3% were female and 90.7% were males. Physical examination of the included population showed 15.5% prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome among computer operators in Peshawar. However, carpal compression test revealed positive result in 15% participants and carpal compression with wrist flexion was positive in 16.6% of the participants.
Conclusion: The study concluded that the prevalence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome among computer operators in Peshawar is 15.5% which is very much in lieu with other studies conducted elsewhere.
