Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment.

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Causes Symptoms Treatment Preventions

• Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

2
Introduction to Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

• Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition
  that causes pain, numbness, and tingling in the
  hand and arm. The condition occurs when one of
  the major nerves to the hand the median nerve
  is squeezed or compressed as it travels through
  the wrist.
• Tingling, Numbness and pain in your first three
  fingers and thumb of your hand are common
  symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
• The pain in your carpal tunnel is due to excess
  pressure in your wrist and on the median nerve. 
• Carpal tunnel syndrome can be made worse if the
  wrist is overextended repeatedly.

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Causes of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

• Women are actually 3 times more likely to have
  symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Most often a result of a person's occupation.
• Activities requiring continual use of the hands.
• Repetitive motions using force.
• Prolonged flexion or extension of the wrist.
• gripping.
• Pressure over the palm.
• Trauma.
• Fractures.
• Vibration.
• Examples data-entry, meat cutters, assembly,
  construction workers, and musicians.

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Symptoms of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

• Tingling or numbness in the fingers and hands,
  particularly the thumb, the index finger, and the
  middle finger.
• Pain in the forearm, palm, or wrist.
• Increased numbness felt during the night compared
  to the day time. In fact, the pain could be so
  intense, that it could wake you up. You may find
  yourself rubbing or shaking your hand in order to
  alleviate the pain.
• Increased pain on using the wrist or hand more.
• Weakness in the thumb.
• Difficulty in gripping things.

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Diagnosis of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

• Physical examination. Your doctor will conduct a
  physical examination. He or she will test the
  feeling in your fingers and the strength of the
  muscles in your hand.
• X-ray. Some doctors recommend an X-ray of the
  affected wrist to exclude other causes of wrist
  pain, such as arthritis or a fracture.
• Electromyogram. Electromyography measures the
  tiny electrical discharges produced in muscles.
  During this test, your doctor inserts a
  thin-needle electrode into specific muscles. The
  test evaluates the electrical activity of your
  muscles.
• Nerve conduction study. In a variation of
  electromyography, two electrodes are taped to
  your skin. A small shock is passed through the
  median nerve to see if electrical impulses are
  slowed in the carpal tunnel. This test may be
  used to diagnose your condition and rule out
  other conditions.

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Treatments of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

• Home treatment, such as changing or avoiding
  activities that may be causing symptoms and
  wearing a wrist splint.
• Physical therapy or occupational therapy. This
  includes ultrasound, stretching, and
  range-of-motion exercises.
• Medicines, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
  drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve pain and reduce
  inflammation. In some cases, oral corticosteroids
  or corticosteroid injections into the carpal
  tunnel may be considered.
• Surgery. Surgery is sometimes recommended when
  other treatment hasn't helped, if you've had
  carpal tunnel syndrome for a long time, or if
  there is nerve damage or the risk of nerve
  damage.

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Preventions of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

• If your job requires performing the same tasks
  over and over with your hands, try not bending,
  twisting or extending your hands for extended
  periods of time.
• Avoid resting your wrists on surfaces that are
  hard for extended periods of time.
• While working, see that your arms are not too far
  away or too close to your body.
• While performing tasks, keep switching hands.
• Taking breaks regularly from repetitive hand
  movements is a good way to give your wrists and
  hands time to rest.
• Ensure that the tools you are using are not too
  large for your hands.
• If you use the keyboard for extended periods of
  time, make sure to see that your forearms are at
  the same level as the keyboard, and that you do
  not need to flex your wrists in order to type.