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FOCUS IN Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
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About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a condition that causes numbness, tingling, or weakness in your hand and wrist. And it is also caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist. The carpal tunnel is formed by the bones, tendons and ligaments that surround the median nerve. It is travels through the wrist at the carpal tunnel.
It normally develops between the ages of 45 and 64 years, and the prevalence increases with age. It can appear in one or both wrists. It is more common in women than in men.
Signs and symptoms of
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Weakness in your hand and trouble holding things.
- Numbness or tingling in the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers.
- Feel shock-like sensations that radiate to the thumb and index, middle, and ring fingers.
- Wrist pain at night that interferes with sleep.
- Both hands are affected in more than half of cases.
Carpal tunnel syndrome gets worse, you may have less grip strength because the muscles in your hand shrink. You’ll also have more pain and muscle cramping. In most cases, the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome begin gradually without a specific injury.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Risk Factors
You might have a higher risk of getting carpal tunnel syndrome if you do activities or jobs that involve repetitive finger use. People who are at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome include:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome is more common in women than in men. This might be because they tend to have smaller carpal tunnels.
- Have a family member with small carpal tunnels.
- High force (hammering).
- Extreme wrist motions.
- Fracture or dislocate your wrist.
- Due to older age.
- Thyroid gland hormone imbalance.
- A mass (tumor) in the carpal tunnel.
- Due to diabetes.
- Alcoholism.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Prevention
To prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, you should:
- Keep your wrists straight.
- Give yourself a break whenever you can.
- Try to keep your hands warm.
- Use a splint or brace that helps keep your wrist in a neutral position.
- Avoid flexing and extending your wrists over and over again.
- Put your hands and wrists in the right position while you work.
- Talk to your supervisor.
- See an Occupational Therapist.
Wondering if Carpal Tunnel Syndrome surgery is Right
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Preparing For Your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Surgery
If you are preparing to undergo carpal tunnel release surgery, you may be wondering what to expect in the coming weeks and in the months post-surgery. Because with the same risk factors and preparation needs as many other surgeries. And we provides you a specific instructions on how to prepare for your procedure, though these generally follow a similar sequence, regardless of your surgical approach. It is also important that you follow the instructions given to you by your doctor or nurse.
Post Operative Activities
- Keep your hand raised above heart level. This will help reduce swelling.
- Ice the surgical site for a given amount of time, a few times a day.
- After 1 week of surgery remove your bandages and stitches will take place. Physical therapy may be suggested to improve stiffness and restore range of motion.
- You may need to wear a splint or wrist brace for several weeks.
- Grip and hand strength usually come back within 2-3 months after surgery, but it can take up to a year to fully recover.
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WHAT OUR PATIENTS SAY
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
There are numerous factors that may cause carpal tunnel syndrome. It may be related to strenuous repetitive use of the hands or occur after trauma such as a wrist fracture.
A diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome is made after a physician will take the patient’s history, perform a physical examination, and manual tests, including Phalen’s Maneuver, Tinel’s Sign, Electrodiagnostic Studies, a nerve condition study, and Electromyography.
There are two popular surgical techniques used in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, the open technique and the endoscopic technique. Both of these techniques have relatively high success rates, approximately 90% of patients get relief from their symptoms. There are some advantages and risks associated with each method. The preferred procedure depends on the surgeon’s experience and should only be selected after the options have been discussed in detail.
Carpal tunnel syndrome typically affects the thumb, index, and middle fingers and is often particularly troublesome at night. Additionally, it affects almost 5% of the population and is most common in middle-aged women.
There is a small risk of nerve injury since the procedure is performed adjacent to the nerve. The endoscopic release has a higher risk of nerve and blood vessel injury as compared to the open procedure. There is a low risk of infection and bleeding during the procedure is minimal. Hand and wrist stiffness is a potential risk but is uncommon if the postoperative exercises are performed.
Symptoms may be present for a few months or even a year. It is wise to seek help and advice for carpal tunnel before the condition starts affecting your ability to carry out tasks or even do your job. If surgery is needed, you can expect that your grip strength and full range of motion will be back after a period of three to five months.
If the individual experience numbness and tingling in the fingers within 60 seconds, then you should never avoid it because the more quickly symptoms appear, the more severe the carpal tunnel syndrome would be.
According to some research, individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome may find relief from taking vitamin B6 supplements as a complementary therapy because in most cases symptoms similar to carpal tunnel appear due to lack of vitamin B6 or B12. You can also eat certain foods which are rich in B6 like spinach, banana, papaya, tuna etc.
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