Steven J. McCabe, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, co-authored the article, “Preferred sleep position on the side is associated with carpal tunnel syndrome” with John Myers, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, and Amit Gupta, MBBS, and David E. Tate, MD, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, UofL. The article was published online in Hand on Nov. 19, 2010.

Using a case–control study, researchers compared the prevalence of preferred sleep position in 68 cases and 138 controls and found a strong and significant association between a preference for sleeping on the side and the presence of carpal tunnel syndrome in men and in women less than 60 years of age. Body mass index was associated with carpal tunnel syndrome in women but not men. These findings of a strong association between the presence of carpal tunnel syndrome and preferred sleeping on the side suggest a comprehensive unifying theory of causation.

Keywords: Steven McCabe, John Myers, sleep position, carpal tunnel syndrome, Hand, biostatistics, bioinformatics, research, UofL, University of Louisville, Public Health, Information Sciences, SPHIS