Court judge decided that since both laws applied to
the same act, it was double jeopardy. A provision of
the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement
Act of 1994 amended the Anti-Car Theft Act by add-
ing the possibility of a death penalty if the carjacking
victim was killed; the clause concerning the posses-
sion of a firearm was replaced by a clause referring to
the offender’s intent to cause severe bodily injury
or death.
Further Reading
Klaus, Patsy.Carjackings in the United States, 1992-96.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice,
Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Sta-
tistics, 1999.
Rand, Michael.Carjacking: National Crime Victimiza-
tion Survey. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Jus-
tice Statistics, 1994.
Gerald P. Fisher
See also Automobile industry; Byrd murder case;
Crime; Drive-by shootings.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Definition A repetitive strain injury affecting the
wrists
Although known for years as a syndrome with meatpackers
and other manual laborers, carpal tunnel syndrome in
white-collar workers became more prominent during the
1990’s.
Repetitive strain injury was first described in 1713 by
Bernardino Ramazzini. During the 1990’s, repeti-
tive strain injuries, which include carpal tunnel syn-
drome, increased substantially among the industries
that were computer-intensive, becoming one the
fastest-growing health problems in American busi-
nesses and costing billions of dollars. Between 1990
and 1997, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics re-
ported an 80 percent increase in incidents of repeti-
tive strain injury, with 8.4 million workers affected in
1999 alone.
Carpal tunnel syndrome involves a swelling in the
carpal tunnel, a small area in the wrist between the
bones and the transverse carpal ligament. Blood ves-
sels and the median nerve pass through this tunnel
and, when the tunnel is swollen and irritated, pres-
sure is put on the median nerve by an increase in
fluid buildup. The most common symptoms of car-
pal tunnel are a dull ache in the hand, forearm, or
upper arm, as well as fatigue, tingling, numbness,
burning sensation, or weakness in the hand. There is
no clear reason why some people develop carpal
tunnel syndrome and others do not. Risk factors in-
clude wrist injuries, inflammatory diseases, preg-
nancy, thyroid disease, diabetes, and repetitive mo-
tions, although some people develop the condition
for no specific reason.
Movements that involve prolonged or repetitive
motion of the wrist put people at risk for the syn-
drome. Many people assumed that computer and
mouse usage were responsible for an increase in
hand numbness and tingling symptoms. With the in-
crease in Internet access as well as the explosion of
video games and e-mail opportunities, physicians
began seeing younger people complaining of carpal
tunnel symptoms. The symptoms were often ig-
nored until there was significant damage to the
nerve. The damage takes place over time and is slow
to heal. Treatment and prevention include proper
posture so that the back and shoulder muscles do
not have to work so hard and so that the nerves and
blood supply are not pinched. Positioning the arms
and wrists correctly also prevents overworking the
muscles in the forearm. Taking short breaks, stretch-
ing, and conditioning exercises can help prevent the
symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. For people al-
ready affected, physical therapy and refraining from
the repetitive work may be necessary, although per-
manent damage to the median nerve can result in
lifelong disability.
Impact During the 1990’s, the common assump-
tion was that computer usage put people at a higher
risk for carpal tunnel syndrome. A few studies
have either proved inconclusive or shown that there
is no increase in incidence of carpal tunnel syn-
drome in computer users as compared to the gen-
eral population. Computer users, however, more
often have temporary symptoms of numbness or tin-
gling and still seem to comprise a large portion
of the many documented cases of carpal tunnel
syndrome.
Further Reading
Damany, Suparna, and Jack Bellis.It’s Not Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome: RSI Theor y and Therapy for Com-
puter Professionals. Philadelphia: Simax, 2000.152 Carpal tunnel syndrome The Nineties in America