Peer-reviewed research
The Effect of Carpal Tunnel Release on Typing Performance
Justin W Zumsteg et al., The Journal of Hand Surgery, 2016 · DOI 10.1016/j.jhsa.2016.10.005
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A prospective study of 27 patients who had open carpal tunnel release. Each patient typed a short passage on an online platform before surgery and at eight points from 1 to 12 weeks after it, and the study tracked words per minute at each point.
- How much weight it carries
- Peer-reviewed and published in a hand surgery journal, but small, with open release only and one short passage of about 500 characters. It measures typing speed, not pain or comfort, so it shows how fast people type again, not how comfortable they feel.
Facts taken from this source
- The 2016 typing study followed 27 patients who had open carpal tunnel release.
“Twenty-seven patients undergoing open CTR were studied prospectively.” (Abstract)
- Eight to ten days after open carpal tunnel release, average typing speed fell to 45.2 words per minute, a drop the authors call statistically significant.
“Average typing speed decreased significantly from 49.7 ± 2.7 words-per-minute (WPM) preoperatively to 45.2 ± 3.1 WPM at 8–10 days postoperatively.” (Results)
- Before open carpal tunnel release, the 27 patients in a 2016 study typed at an average of 49.7 words per minute on a short online test.
“Average typing speed decreased significantly from 49.7 ± 2.7 words-per-minute (WPM) preoperatively to 45.2 ± 3.1 WPM at 8–10 days postoperatively.” (Results)
- At 12 weeks after open carpal tunnel release, the group's average typing speed reached 53.5 words per minute.
“continued improvement to 53.5 ± 3.5 WPM at 12 weeks following surgery” (Results)
- After open carpal tunnel release, the group's average typing speed rose above its pre-surgery level between weeks 2 and 3.
“The mean typing speed for the group exceeded the preoperative value between weeks 2 and 3, with continued improvement to 53.5 ± 3.5 WPM at 12 weeks following surgery.” (Results)