Maybe you have felt numbness or tingling in your hand in some situations. The carpal tunnel is a narrow arm passage surrounded by the palm’s bones and ligaments. When the median nerve inside this tunnel is under pressure, you experience numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hand and arm, which may lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Do you know under what conditions this syndrome occurs and what its treatment is? Stay with us until the end of the article to learn more about this condition.
What is the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome?
The median nerve passes from the forearm to the palm through a passage in the wrist called the carpal tunnel and provided sensation to the palm and fingers, except for the little finger. It also provides the necessary nerve messages for the movement of the base muscles of the thumb (motor function). Anything that causes pressure on the median nerve or its stimulation in this space can cause this syndrome. For example, a wrist fracture can narrow the carpal tunnel and irritate the nerve, or rheumatoid arthritis can cause swelling and inflammation of the nerve. Of course, carpal tunnel syndrome does not have only one cause. In many cases, several factors play a role in causing this disease.
Causes of carpal tunnel syndrome
Various factors contribute to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. Each of these factors may not contribute to the syndrome alone, but they can increase the likelihood of inflammation and damage to the median nerve. These factors are:
- Anatomy of the body: Fractures, displacement, and inflammation of the wrist, along with the change in bone shape, can change the space of the carpal tunnel and put pressure on the median nerve. This syndrome is more likely to occur in people with a small carpal tunnel.
- Gender: Carpal tunnel syndrome is more common in women. This issue may be due to women’s smaller carpal tunnel space than men.
- Nerve-dangerous diseases: Some chronic conditions, such as diabetes, can increase the possibility of nerve damage, including median nerve damage.
- Inflammatory diseases: Rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases can affect the covering around the wrist tendon and pressure the median nerve.
- Medicines: Some studies indicate a connection between this syndrome and the use of anastrozole (a type of breast cancer drug ).
- Obesity: Weight gain can put pressure on the median nerve.
- Changes in body fluids: fluid retention increases carpal tunnel pressure and causes median nerve inflammation. This problem is common during pregnancy and usually resolves itself after pregnancy.
- Special conditions: conditions such as menopause, thyroid disorder, kidney failure, and lymphedema increase the likelihood of carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Work factors: Working with vibrating tools or working on assembly lines that require prolonged and continuous wrist bending can put negative pressure on the median nerve or the wrist and cause nerve damage, especially if the work is done in a cold environment.
Using a computer mouse instead of a keyboard can also be problematic. But not enough research has been done in this regard.
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome usually develop gradually, including:
- Tingling or numbness: You may feel this in your fingers or palms. Usually, the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers are affected, and the little finger is not a problem. You may also feel an electric shock in these fingers. This feeling may be transferred from the wrist to the arm. These symptoms often occur while holding the steering wheel, phone, newspaper, or sleeping.
- Weakness: You may experience hand weakness, or objects may fall from your hand. This issue can be due to numbness of the hand or weakness of the holding muscles in the thumb. The median nerve usually controls these muscles.
Time to see a doctor
See your doctor if you have carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms that have disturbed your daily activities and sleep patterns. Untreated carpal tunnel syndrome may lead to permanent nerve and muscle damage.
Diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome
A doctor may diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome by asking a few questions and performing some tests, such as:
- History of symptoms: pay attention to signs such as the little finger not being involved, numbness, and weakness in other fingers while driving and holding the phone or newspaper.
- Clinical examination: including examining the sensation of the fingers and stretching the muscles of the hand or bending the wrist and putting pressure on the median nerve.
- Imaging: to check for inflammation or fracture. (This test is not suitable for diagnosing the syndrome itself.)
- Ultrasound: to see a good image of the bone and nerve to detect pressure on the nerve.
- Electromyography: to measure small electrical discharges created in muscles. (In this test, tiny needles are inserted into specific muscles to evaluate the electrical activity during muscle contraction and relaxation. With this test, damage to the muscles controlled by the median nerve can be determined, and the possibility of other diseases can be ruled out.)
- Examination of nerve conduction: two small electrodes are placed on the skin, and electrical conduction is checked in the carpal tunnel by introducing a slight shock. This test helps to diagnose the disease and rule out other options.
Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome
Start treatment as soon as the syndrome develops. In the initial stages of the disease, simple measures can cause the condition to disappear, including:
- Resting the hand;
- Avoiding activities that worsen symptoms;
- Using a cold compress to reduce swelling.
For mild to moderate pain, you can use other methods, such as:
- Wristband for sleeping time;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen ;
- Injectable corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and swelling.
In severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome and when the symptoms do not improve with any method, surgery seems to be a good option, which is done in 2 different ways:
- Endoscopic surgery: the doctor uses a small camera inserted into the hand to view the carpal tunnel. This surgery is performed by making 1 or 2 small holes in the wrist and is less painful than open surgery.
- Open surgery: the surgeon releases the nerve by incision the palm and cutting the ligament.
Aftercare for carpal tunnel surgery and recovery from surgery will take several months, and the surgeon will ask you to use your hand regularly.
Carpal tunnel syndrome operation risk
- bleeding;
- damage to the median nerve or nerves and blood vessels close to it;
- wound infection ;
- A wound that hurts when touched.
Appropriate lifestyle to control symptoms
There are a few simple things you can do to get relief from carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms, including:
- Always take short breaks when doing repetitive activities.
- lose weight
- Rotate your wrist and stretch your palm and fingers.
- Use pain relievers such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
- Use a wristband.
- Do not sleep on your hands.
- Do exercises like yoga.
- Do hand exercises.
Prevention of carpal tunnel syndrome
There is no way to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, but you can minimize the stress on your hand and wrist by doing a few things, including:
- Lighten the pressure and release the wrist: for example, if you are working with a cash register or a keyboard, press the keys gently. Use a large and fluent pen and write with slight pressure for extended writing.
- Take short and continuous breaks: Gently stretch and bend your hands and wrists every so often. Do alternative work if possible. This action is significant when working with vibrating tools or performing tasks that require high pressure. Even a few minutes of rest per hour makes a difference.
- Pay attention to your wrist position: avoid constantly bending your wrist up or down. The middle class is the best. Hold the keyboard at elbow height or slightly lower.
- Pay attention to your body position: in an incorrect body position, the shoulders are bent forward, the neck and shoulder muscles are shortened, and pressure is applied to the neck nerve. In this case, pressure may be applied to the wrist, fingers, and neck, and you may get neck pain.
- Change the computer mouse: Make sure your computer mouse is comfortable and does not put pressure on your wrist.
- Keep your hands warm: Working in cold weather can cause hand pain and stiffness. If you can’t regulate the temperature of your work environment, you can use fingerless gloves to keep your palms and wrists warm.
you say
What method do you know to control carpal tunnel syndrome and reduce its symptoms? Have you ever suffered from this condition? If you wish, you can write your experience and opinion in the comments section and share this article with a friend who has this condition through social network—share syndrome.
