Carpal tunnel syndrome is the name given to a condition where one of the main nerves
of the forearm gets trapped or squeezed as it passes through a tunnel in the wrist - trying to make its way into the palm of the hand. The nerve is called the Median Nerve and the small tunnel space through a gap in the wrist bones is called the carpal tunnel.
The problem is common - with some recent expert studies indicating that around one in ten of us might develop it at some point in our lives. It can be a transient and self healing issue - as is seen during pregnancy for example, or it can go on to give a lifetime of misery in association with other underlying serious disease.
Those who have the bad luck to experience carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms will experience the following problems - either all together or in combinations.
numbness in the thumb and fingers
pain in the palm of the hand or over the wrist
weakness in the hand - particularly in the thumb and index finger
clumsiness of the hand
dry skin in the palm
swelling in the hand - especially around the thumb
colour changes in the palm with the skin going red, dusky blue or mottled looking at times
The symptoms are often worse at night or first thing in the morning - and some people will wake up at night suffering from them. Sleep loss is quite common in those who have the syndrome.
For a few people the problem is triggered by the kind of work they do each day - and those people will typically feel symptoms during the day instead of at night.
Most people find that they can ease the problems a little if they shake their hand for a minute or two. This shaking effect seems to ease the pins and needles and improve the numb sensation.
Carpal tunnel treatment choices are quite wide - and many of those who have it end up quite confused when trying to figure out the best way forward.
Most commonly used is a simple splint that supports the wrist when sleeping or when working. This helps reduce the movement of the bones in the tunnel and seems to reduce the swelling around the nerve. A night time splint is often the first choice or first line treatment for women who get the syndrome when pregnant.
Some doctors will routinely use steroid injections when they are treating a CTS patient. The drug is injected either into the tunnel or close to it - taking great care not to inject into the nerve itself because this would cause lasting damage and worse pain. Research seems to show that this kind of injection treatment works well - particularly in the first two or three months of the problem.
Surgical operations are also used to release the nerve pressure but this invasive type of procedure runs a risk of causing nerve damage so is normally kept for those who fail to recover with other treatment choices.