CDC says trimming cannabis leaves may cause carpal tunnel

As if they had nothing more important to do, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a warning, stating that trimming cannabis leaves can cause carpal tunnel.

The CDC published a small occupational health assessment of the potential risks associated with marijuana farming. Those who frequently trim marijuana buds, they concluded, may be at a slightly higher risk of developing muscular-skeletal problems from all the repetitive motion—namely, carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel occurs when the medial nerve running from the forearm to the hand becomes compressed as a result of the muscles and tendons around it becoming chronically inflamed from overuse.

Pinching the nerve can cause tingling sensations in the fingers (like when your leg falls asleep), and can sometimes make them harder to move or grip. The typical treatment for carpal tunnel is usually rest, and occasionally surgery in extreme cases.

Usually, carpal tunnel only shows up in people who have manual jobs using their hands—things like hair-cutting, meatpacking, or factory assembly lines.

However, because most of the research on marijuana has do to with the effects of THC, occupational health specialists have done little to study the effects of marijuana farming itself.