Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition where your median nerve, which runs from your forearm into your hand, becomes compressed at the wrist causing a pinched nerve. 

Your median nerve is responsible for providing feeling to the palm side of your thumb, pointer, middle, and part of your ring finger. It also assists in the movement of some of the muscles at the base of your thumb.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common medical condition that affects women significantly more than men. You also may be more likely to develop carpal tunnel if you have diabetes or another condition that affects the health of your nerves.

What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome most often occurs when there’s a reduction in the space that your median nerve passes through as it goes from your forearm through your wrist and into your hand.

Common causes of this narrowing include:

• Trauma or injury
• Fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause
• Overactive pituitary gland or underactive thyroid gland
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Certain occupations that cause stress or swelling to the wrist, such as someone who uses a jackhammer, or a job that requires overuse of wrist motions, such as an assembly line worker, may also cause the compression.

However, in most cases, it’s a combination of issues that lead to the development of carpal tunnel.

What are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?

Your carpal tunnel symptoms may develop gradually and worsen over time. Some common symptoms include:

• Tingling, numbness, or burning in the fingers or hand
• Feeling as though your fingers and hand are swollen, even when they’re not
• Limited mobility
• Loss of grip strength
• Inability to feel hot or cold

At first, you may only experience these types of symptoms after you wake up. But over time, as the nerve compression worsens, the symptoms may be more chronic.

What treatments are available for carpal tunnel syndrome?

The team at Goodlife Physical Medicine develops individualized treatment plans to help reduce your carpal tunnel symptoms. Your treatment plan may include:

• Wrist splints
• Manual therapy
• Exercises to strengthen your grip
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Corticosteroid injections

Your provider may also make recommendations for changes you can make at home and at work to reduce repetitiveness or pressure on the nerve.

For treatment of your carpal tunnel syndrome, call the experts at Goodlife Physical Medicine or use the online booking tool to schedule a consultation.