TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-152696 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-152696 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]On Behalf Of
written_by -at- juno -dot- com
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2004 6:09 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Carpal Tunnel Excuses
<snip>
So the question is this: is CTS a real problem or do people have other
problems and are using CTS as a convenient excuse? Was CTS a syndrome
developed at Harvard Law School or is it truly a legitimate issue?
Simple answer: Yes, it's a real problem.
CTS doesn't affect everyone who does repetitive motions. Why do some
2-pack-a-day smokers live to be 95, and others die of lung cancer at 30?
Too many factors in play to generalize, or be able to speculate why you
don't have it, but I do.
My mother has a matched set of scars on both wrists from surgery to help
alleviate the pain caused from 40 years of factory line repetitive work. I
have a mild case, caused by working in a leather tannery one summer, and
having to separate tangled and wet tanned pigskins. Think of a bunch of wet
chamois all tangled and knotted up in the washing machine, only on a much
larger scale. The only way to separate was to find one that looked mostly
free and start pulling. The first couple hundred weren't so bad....
But, if you know what actions to avoid and what to do when you start to
notice it flaring up, you can live with it and minimize the effects as I
have for 20 years. I make sure I'm as ergonomically adjusted as possible at
my workstation. I move my hands and wrists frequently, even if it's just
shaking them out for a few seconds to change their position and make sure
there's good blood flow. If it hurts when I do something, I do it in short
sessions. I use keyboard shortcuts whenever possible -- all of the tricks
that others have mentioned already.
*************************
Carla Martinek
cmartinek -at- zebra -dot- com
- CONFIDENTIAL -
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also
be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not
review, use, copy, or distribute this message. If you receive this email in
error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email and then delete
this email.
ROBOHELP X5: Featuring Word 2003 support, Content Management, Multi-Author
support, PDF and XML support and much more!
TRY IT TODAY at http://www.macromedia.com/go/techwrl
WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT: New! Document review system for Word and FrameMaker
authors. Automatic browser-based drafts with unlimited reviewers. Full
online discussions -- no Web server needed! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
