# Am I causing damage to my arms?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-causing-damage-to-my-arms/66644>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 27, 2001, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-causing-damage-to-my-arms/66644 "2001-05-27T03:29:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sulawesi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@sulawesi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sulawesi)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2001, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-causing-damage-to-my-arms/66644/1 "2001-05-27T03:29:52Z")

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I have a habit I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to break but I catch myself doing all the time where I pull back my hands at the wrists, tightening up the arms and wrists which somehow makes them feel better, but after a while they start to feel sore; by the end of the day they are sometimes painfully sore. As much as I’ve tried to stop, I do it almost unconsciously and I have to wonder if I’m causing any long-term damage to my arms. I know that holding the wrists in certain positions while typing and such can lead to carpal tunnels, so I’ve started to worry about what I’m doing. Should I be concerned?

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**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2001, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-causing-damage-to-my-arms/66644/2 "2001-05-27T13:00:22Z")

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Sounds worth asking a doctor about the next time you’re there. I think habitually flexing the wrists very far back would be hard on them. Besides, whatever feelings this relieves may themselves be a sign of trouble.

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2001, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-causing-damage-to-my-arms/66644/3 "2001-05-27T19:31:32Z")

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I work with a guy who had carpal tunnel surgery. His surgeon told him of a simple test. If your hand goes to sleep while you hold a phone to your ear, you have carpal tunnel syndrome.