Do I Have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

If you have been experiencing numbness, tingling or pain in your hand and wrist, you may be having fleeting thoughts that carpal tunnel syndrome may be to blame. The name of this syndrome is often used to describe any number of similar problems with the wrists. To find out if you really have carpal tunnel syndrome or one of the other conditions, it is best to see your doctor. Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when the median nerve becomes compressed at the wrist. This nerve runs right down the center of your wrist into your palm and controls sensations to your first three fingers and your thumb. This nerve has to pass through a narrow passageway known as the carpal tunnel. The passageway is made of bones and ligaments at the base of your palm. Several tendons also run through this passageway. When the tendons become swollen or thickened, it can cause the nerve to become compressed. This may cause pain, numbness or weakness in your hand and wrist, and sometimes these feelings radiate up the arm as well.

This syndrome is the most common cause for these symptoms. Symptoms of this condition normally begin gradually. You may experience burning, tingling, numbness or itching on the palm of your hand and in the fingers, most notably the thumb, index and middle fingers. Your fingers may feel swollen even if they don’t appear to be. Symptoms may appear in your dominant hand first or both.

Symptoms usually begin at night, since many people tend to sleep with their wrists flexed. Have you ever woken up and felt the need to shake out your hands to make them feel better? This could mean carpal tunnel syndrome. As the condition worsens, the tingling and other sensations may be felt during the day. You may notice your grip isn’t as strong as it once was. It may become harder to perform fine motor skills like picking up small objects. In untreated cases, you may notice that the base of the thumb seems to melt away. Other people have reported they have problems telling the difference between hot and cold by touching. The common thought is that this condition is brought on through repetitive movements like typing. In fact, carpal tunnel syndrome is often caused by a combination of things that serve to increase the pressure on your median nerve. It could be caused by a congenital predisposition to the problem.

This happens when your carpal tunnel just happens to be on the small side. It could also be brought on through injury or trauma to the area that causes swelling, like a sprain. It can also be caused by an overactive pituitary gland, rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism, work stress, using vibrating tools, mechanical issues with the wrist, pregnancy and menopause related fluid retention, or a tumor or cyst growing nearby. Sometimes there is no known cause.

There is no proof that the commonly thought of causes bring on this syndrome. The actions that are repetitive are usually causes for tendonitis or bursitis before they would cause the carpal tunnel syndrome.

You can usually get some relief by just stretching and exercising your hands and wrists occasionally in the day. Through this you might prevent from developing the carpal tunnel syndrome completely.

Tom Nicholson has been helping those numbness from carpal tunnel syndrome learn basic exercises that can ease the pain and numbness caused by this reptitive stress injury for years. Click on this link to start practicing some basic carpal tunnel exercises that can stop the progression of CTS.