The Myth: “Everyone Thinks Typing Causes Carpal Tunnel…”

For decades, patients have arrived in my clinic convinced that their keyboard is to blame for the

numbness and tingling creeping through their fingertips. The image is easy to picture: endless emails,

marathon data entry, and wrists perched awkwardly over a laptop. Surely typing must be the

culprit—right?

Surprisingly, the science doesn’t support that assumption. Population-based data tell a very different

story. Atroshi et al. (2007, Arthritis & Rheumatism) analyzed more than 2,400 Swedish adults and

found that those typing four or more hours per day actually had lower rates of carpal tunnel syndrome

than those who typed less than one hour daily (prevalence ratio » 0.55). Far from fueling an epidemic,

moderate to heavy keyboard use might even be protective—perhaps because habitual typists

unconsciously maintain more neutral wrist postures or develop endurance in the small flexor muscles.

The largest prospective occupational study to date—Andersen et al. (2003, JAMA)—followed over

5,600 Danish tech workers for a full year. Their conclusion? Keyboard time showed no association

with new-onset carpal tunnel, while extended mouse use (>20 hours/week) carried a modest risk

(odds ratio » 3.6). A systematic review by Thomsen, Gerr, and Atroshi (2008, BMC Musculoskeletal

Disorders) reinforced this point after reviewing eight epidemiologic studies: “There is no consistent

evidence that computer or keyboard use causes carpal tunnel syndrome.”

So if you’re worried your keyboard is ruining your wrists, the evidence says otherwise. Typing alone is

a weak villain—if it’s a villain at all.