Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Symptoms & Treatments

Overview

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common medical condition affecting several individuals in the US. People with this condition may experience pain, swelling, numbness, and weakness in the hand or wrist. This blog will share fascinating insights on the symptoms, causes, and various treatment options of CTS.

Summary

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome affects the hands and fingers of a person. It occurs due to compression of the median nerve.
  • Its symptoms may develop and include tingling, numbness, pain, twitching, swelling, and weakness in the hand.
  • Several factors contribute to the development of CTS. These factors involve sprain, fracture, and rheumatoid arthritis.
  • If other treatments fail to relieve the pain, your doctor may recommend release surgery or endoscopic surgery.

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What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

CTS is also known as median nerve compression. It occurs due to undue pressure on your median nerve, which runs through the carpal tunnel in your wrist. Carpal tunnel involves eight wrist bones, nine tendons, and the median nerve.
Swelling or inflammation in this small tunnel can place pressure on your median nerve. People experiencing CTS can affect one or both hands.

Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Some of its most common symptoms include:

1. Tingling or Numbness

The patient usually experiences tingling and numbness in all fingers except the little one. They may feel a sensation like an electric shock in these fingers. A person feels these symptoms while holding objects like a phone or book. The numb feeling may become permanent over time.

2. Weakness

The loss of hand power is one of the most common complaints, which can be severe in some cases. It is most prevalent while performing activities that need small muscles at the base of the thumb.
You may feel weakness in your hand due to which you drop objects. It may happen because of the weakness of the thumb’s pinching muscles controlled by the median nerve.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome blog

3. Impairment at Night

Symptoms experienced in CTS are more severe at night. Unusual sensations might become intense at times, interfering with sleep. It may even wake a person from sleep.

4. Swelling

Many patients feel the swelling in their hands or fingers. When the doctors examine hands and fingers, they cannot find measurable enlargement of either hand or digits. In most situations, the sense of swelling is most likely a misinterpretation of numbness and clumsiness.

5. Twitching

Some patients report twitching and shock-like sensations in their palms and fingers. This feeling gets worse when they hold things such as a phone or newspaper.

6. Pain

Pain experienced by patients with carpal tunnel syndrome is different from tingling and numbness. It may appear at the early or late stage of the CTS. Other than hand and fingers, it sometimes affects the arm up to the shoulder.

What Are the Causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

It is generally caused by a rise in pressure on the median nerve and tendons in the carpal tunnel. These factors may include:

  • Sprain or fracture
  • An overactive pituitary gland
  • An underactive thyroid gland
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Mechanical problems in the wrist joint
  • Fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause
  • Development of a tumor in the canal

Risk Factors

Several factors play a vital role in the development of CTS. Although they may not cause carpal tunnel syndrome, but they may increase the risk of damage to the median nerve. These factors include:

  • Anatomic factors
  • Gender
  • Nerve-damaging conditions
  • Inflammatory conditions
  • Obesity
  • Body fluid changes
  • Workplace

How Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treated?

If you do not get treatment timely, the condition will worsen over time. At early stages, it is possible to slow or stop the progression of the disease. But it is advisable to treat underlying causes such as diabetes or arthritis first.

Nonsurgical Treatments

1. Bracing or Splinting

Wearing a brace or splint at night will prevent the bending of your wrist while sleeping. Keeping your wrist in a straight position will help to reduce stress on the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. Wearing a splint when performing activities that worsen your symptoms may also assist.

2. Over-The-Counter Drugs

Several nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help to ease pain and swelling. Such medicines include aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonprescription pain relievers.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome bracing

3. Alternative Therapies

Many people with CTS reported the effectiveness of acupuncture and chiropractic care. Yoga has also proved to ease pain and improve grip strength.

Surgical Treatments

If nonsurgical treatment options do not provide any relief from the symptoms, your doctor may recommend surgery.

Your healthcare provider will suggest surgery after analyzing the severity of your symptoms. Open release surgery and endoscopic surgery are the most common and effective surgical procedures in the United States.

At CMW, our expert team of surgeons offers effective and reliable surgical and nonsurgical procedures for CTS after analyzing your symptoms. Schedule an appointment at CMW with our Board-Certified surgeons and ease your pain today.

Call Now AT : (877)-241-2772

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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatments in NJ

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What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a medical condition that causes pain, numbness, and a tingling sensation among other symptoms in the hand and arm. The primary reason for Carpal tunnel syndrome is a distressed median nerve – the median nerve runs from the forearm to the fingers through the carpal tunnel.

What Are the Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome symptoms manifest gradually. They normally start with a tingling and numbing sensation in the palm and progress to loss of feeling in the fingers and a lack of coordination. Common Carpal Tunnel Syndrome symptoms are:

  • A tingling and numbing sensation in your hand, which comes and goes.
  • Your finger may ‘fall asleep more often than usual, especially in the evening or while you are asleep.
  • A tingling sensation that runs from fingers to the shoulder when you wake up in the morning.

 

In case the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has progressed to a critical stage, symptoms may include:

  • Pain in the hand and arm.
  • Frequent muscle cramps.
  • Slower nerve impulses.
  • A loss of feeling in the fingers.
  • Inability to grip things properly.
  • A loss of coordination when utilizing basic hand functions.

 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can cause permanent damage to the median nerve and the arm muscles. You should consult an expert doctor when you start experiencing the initial onset symptoms.

What is the Best Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be cured through non-invasive and invasive procedures.

A. Non-Invasive Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
If the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has been diagnosed at an early stage, then non-invasive treatments may cure it before it progresses. Its non-surgical treatments include:

  • Rest your hands frequently.
  • Don’t lift heavy objects or engage in strenuous activity.
  • Apply ice packs as directed by your physician.
  • Use wrist splints prescribed by your doctor.
  • Take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the advice of your doctor.
  • Get doctor prescribed Corticosteroids (steroids) injections to improve inflammation. Steroid injections are a short-term cure and may need to be repeated.

 

B. Invasive Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome surgery can be performed by two methods:

  • Open Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Surgery.
  • Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Surgery.

 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can cause permanent damage. Don’t be afraid of surgery; let us take care of you.

Schedule an online consultation with our orthopedic specialist and avail effective, reliable, and best orthopedic treatments in NJ.

FAQ’S

What Will Happen If Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Is Not Treated?

  • If you do not treat your carpal tunnel syndrome, then you may have to lose the synchronization of fingers and thumb as a result of weakness.
  • With proper care and treatment, the symptoms of your carpal tunnel syndrome may get vanished over time.

How Do You Get Carpal Tunnel?

  • The carpal tunnel syndrome may occur as a result of a squeeze produced in the median nerve.
  • Or it may also occur as a result of fracture around the wrist area by narrowing the nerves.
  • At times there is no appropriate reason for carpal tunnel syndrome.

What Are the Warning Signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Some of the major or significant warning signs of carpal tunnel syndrome include:

  • Severe pain and numbness in thumb or hand.
  • Severe or chronic pain around shoulder area.
  • In rare cases, muscle distortion around the thumb area.

Does Carpal Tunnel Go Away?

  • Yes, you can get rid of this disease if proper treatment and care is given timely.
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome usually isn’t serious, but you should seek treatment as it causes pain and discomfort.
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