Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when tendons or ligaments in the wrist become enlarged, often from inflammation, after being aggravated. The narrowed tunnel of bones and ligaments in the wrist pinches the nerves that reach the fingers and the muscles at the base of the thumb. The first symptoms usually appear at night. Symptoms range from a burning, tingling numbness in the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers, to difficulty gripping or making a fist, to dropping things. Some cases of carpal tunnel syndrome are due to work-related cumulative trauma of the wrist. Diseases or conditions that predispose to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome include pregnancy, diabetes, and obesity.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition, particularly in people working on computers or performing repetitive motions with the hands, arms, shoulders and neck over a long period of time, such as computer operators, machinists, and factory workers. It is often misdiagnosed and costs business and industry thousands of dollars in lost work time and disability claims. Typical symptoms include:
- Arm, hand,wrist pain or weakness
- Arm or hand numbness
- Numbness is the first fingers and thumb, little finger is usually unaffected
- Hand, wrist or thumb pain, especially at night
The condition is the result of the dysfunction of the median nerve in the forearm. The most common belief is that this occurs when there is excessive pressure on the nerve as it runs into the wrist through a narrow opening in the wrist referred to as the "carpal tunnel". The median nerve controls movement of the thumb and sensation into the thumb, index finger, middle finger and half of the ring finger. Pressure on the nerve causes a loss of function in these areas. This occurs when the tendons that allow us to flex our fingers become inflamed, either through repetitive use or other causes such as arthritis or previous fracture of the carpal bones, and thicken, decreasing the space which the median nerve passes through. Eventually, the pressure reaches a point when the nerve can no longer function normally. Pain and numbness begins.
Is there any treatment for Carpal tunnel syndrome?
Treatment options for Carpal tunnel syndrome include immobilizing the wrist in a splint to minimize or prevent pressure on the nerves. If that fails, patients are sometimes given anti-inflammatory drugs or injections of cortisone in the wrist to reduce the swelling. There is also a surgical procedure in which doctors can open the wrist and cut the ligament at the bottom of the wrist to relieve the pressure. However, only a small percentage of patients require surgery.
Dr. Tucker's successful treatment approach offers an alternative to the above. This method includes teaching you low load exercises to help heal the damaged tissue. You will learn strategies on how to stop harming your wrists and learn how to stop perpetuating the contributing factors to Carpal tunnel syndrome. I also use modalities such as electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and myofascial therapy to restore function and promote healing.
What is the prognosis for Carpal tunnel syndrome?
Approximately 1 percent of individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome develop permanent injury. The majority recover completely and can avoid reinjury by changing the way they do repetitive movements, the frequency with which they do the movements, and the amount of time they rest between periods when they perform the movements.
What research is being done on for Carpal tunnel syndrome?
Much of the on-going research on carpal tunnel syndrome is aimed at prevention and rehabilitation. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) funds research on carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Organizations
American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA)
P.O. Box 850
Rocklin, CA 95677-0850
ACPA@pacbell.net
http://www.theacpa.org
Tel: 916-632-0922 800-533-3231
Fax: 916-632-3208
National Chronic Pain Outreach Association (NCPOA)
P.O. Box 274
Millboro, VA 24460
ncpoa@cfw.com
http://www.chronicpain.org
Tel: 540-862-9437
Fax: 540-862-9485
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
National Institutes of Health, DHHS
31 Center Dr., Rm. 4C02 MSC 2350
Bethesda, MD 20892-2350
NIAMSinfo@mail.nih.gov
http://www.niams.nih.gov
Tel: 301-496-8190 877-22-NIAMS (226-4267)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Links:
New York Online Access to Health (NOAH):
Hosted at the City University of New York, this is a good general health resource. The NOAH pages on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are very useful for people coping with carpal tunnel syndrome.
http://www.noah-health.org/
A Patient's Guide to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:
This is a nicely illustrated introduction to carpal tunnel syndrome.
http://www.sechrest.com/mmg/reflib/ctd/cts/cts.html
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