What exactly is carpal tunnel syndrome? According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), it’s a painful disorder of the wrist and hand. The carpal tunnel is a narrow tunnel formed by the bones and other tissues of your wrist that protects your median nerve, which is what gives you feeling in your thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. But when other tissues in the carpal tunnel, such as ligaments and tendons, get swollen or inflamed, they press against the median nerve. That pressure can make part of your hand hurt or feel numb.
Doing the same hand movements over and over can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. The affliction is most often seen in people whose jobs require pinching or gripping with the wrist held bent. People working with computers or cash registers are highly at risk, and other careers such as assembly-line workers, meat packers, musicians and mechanics might also find themselves at risk. Hobbies such as gardening, needlework, golfing and canoeing can sometimes bring on the symptoms.
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include numbness or tingling in your hand and fingers, especially the thumb, index and middle fingers; pain in your wrist, palm or forearm; discomfort may be worse at night than during the day, enough to wake you up; experiencing increased pain the more you use your hand; having trouble gripping objects; and weakness in your thumb.
The AAFP says that carpal tunnel syndrome is linked to other things as well. It may be caused by an injury to the wrist, such as a fracture, or by a disease such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or thyroid disease. Carpal tunnel syndrome is also common during the last few months of pregnancy.
If you suspect that you might have carpal tunnel syndrome, see your doctor. Along with asking you about your symptoms, he or she may examine you and ask you how you use your hands. Your doctor may also do a few simple tests to determine whether you have it or not.
If you are diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, don’t fear. The AAFP noted that the condition usually isn’t serious, and with treatment, the pain will usually go away and you’ll have no lasting damage to your hand or wrist.
If carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by a medical problem, your doctor will probably first treat that problem, according to the AAFP. Your doctor may ask you to rest your wrist or change how you use your hand, or to wear a splint on your wrist. The splint will keep your wrist from moving but allow you to function relatively well. It can also help ease the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome, especially at night. Putting ice on your wrist, massaging the area and doing stretching exercises may help too.
Your doctor may also suggest that you use a pain reliever such as ibuprofen (Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), or aspirin. The AAFP also says that your doctor may give you a shot in the wrist with a drug such as cortisone, which may help ease the pain by relieving swelling and inflammation. If these treatments don’t help, surgery may be needed to make the symptoms go away completely.
According to WebMD.com, there are a few things you can do to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome - maintain a healthy weight, don’t smoke, and exercise to maintain your strength and flexibility. If you have chronic conditions such as arthritis or diabetes, follow your doctor’s advice for keeping your condition under control. In addition, try to keep your wrists in a neutral position during repetitive or stressful hand activities. If you begin to notice signs of carpal tunnel syndrome, stop or reduce any activity that stresses your fingers, hand, or wrist, or try changing the way you do that activity.
