Study Protocol for CTS and Keyboard Controlled Randomized Trial

Summary

The study hypothesis is that there is a relationship between the keyboard layout and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Specifically, use of the standard QWERTY keyboard increases the risk of symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. The QWERTY keyboard requires more effort by the fingers than necessary to perform the required work, i.e. data or word entry; up to 200 percent more flexion and extension and 100 percent more distance traveled.

The purpose of the protocol is to evaluate two keyboard layouts for carpal tunnel syndrome therapy, and to see if the efficient keyboard, Finger Relief, can be used as an adjunctive tool to other treatments or therapy for CTS for typists. Subjects who had received a diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome from their medical doctor and, where not contraindicated, had received confirmation of the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome with a nerve conduction velocity (NCV) study participated in four typing sessions to compare onset and severity of carpal tunnel symptoms. Testing sessions alternated between keyboards. The keyboard selected for the first typing session was determined by random assignment. Twenty subjects completed all four typing sessions. The test protocol consisted of a medical history, 3 tests of the subjective pain experience of the subject (visual analogue scale / verbal rating scale, and hand diagram), 2 clinical measures of physical manifestations of swelling associated with carpal tunnel syndrome (water volume/tape measure), and a measure of the length of time spent typing on each keyboard layout - QWERTY and TheOrdinals (the Finger Relief keyboard).

Conditions

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Interventions

DEVICE

Interossei Lumbricals Neuro Interface

Finger Relief's keyboard home row layout \[actual home row placement order: asdeihotlrn\], plus substitutions on the upper row \[qwfgjyuk;p\] and bottom row \[zxcvb'm,.\] moves or shifts finger and thumb movement from the elbow muscles to the finger muscles. The movement of finger bending toward the palm is shifted to the interosseous and lumbrical muscles of the hand and fingers from the full flexion and extension muscle control to reduce contraction and expansion of tendons and the movement in the carpal canal adjacent to the median nerve and reduces pressure on the median nerve. Pressure on the median nerve compromises the nerve leading to symptoms of the carpal tunnel syndrome of pain, tingling, and numbness.

DEVICE

Standard QWERTY keyboard

Report of onset and severity symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome when typing with QWERTY keyboard and the Finger Relief device.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Finger Relief

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• John I Choate, J.D. · Association of Repetitive Motion Syndromes

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

12 Years

Max Age

85 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

1997-01-31

Primary Completion

2008-07-31

Completion

2008-07-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations