A RESIDENT surnamed Zhu recently discovered that he was almost unable to move his right hand and that the carpal bones in his right hand had dissolved. It turned out that the culprit was an electric drill, a tool Zhu often uses for his work, the Shenzhen Evening News reported.

Zhu, 48, said he started feeling a little pain in his right hand two years ago. He thought it was gout and didn’t pay much attention to it. However, the pain was aggravated in May and his right wrist became swollen.

“I couldn’t hold chopsticks and could only eat with my left hand,” Zhu said. When it rained, the pain would get even worse. He went to the microsurgery department of Shenzhen People’s Hospital. It turned out that the scaphoid of his right carpal bone was half dissolved.

“The scaphoid is responsible for the movement of the wrist and the thumb,” said Zhuang Yongqing, director of microsurgery department of the hospital. “Looking at the X-rays, one and a half of the eight carpal bones of his right hand have been affected. Among them, half of the scaphoid is missing.”

The ailment is related to Zhu’s work. Zhu has been in the home decoration business for 20 years, and the electric drill is a commonly used tool. “The vibration of the drill injures the bones. Although the bones can repair themselves, the day-to-day use of the drill hinders the repairing process and eventually results in the dissolution of the bones,” said Zhuang. He added that if not treated in time, the right hand will lose its functionality.

The microsurgery department at Shenzhen People’s Hospital performed a surgery on Zhu’s right hand. Zhu is recovering well following the surgery and his health is expected to be restored in a month. (Zhang Yu)