Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common disorder that may affect up to 10% of the population. And women are three times more likely than men to develop carpal tunnel syndrome.
If you have experienced pain, tingling, and numbness in your hand and wrist for a long time, don’t ignore these symptoms: You may have carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by compression of the median nerve, which enters your hand through the carpal tunnel -- a narrow passageway formed by bones and ligaments. If tendons in the carpal tunnel become inflamed and swell, they can squeeze the nerve and produce the typical symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Early recognition of carpal tunnel syndrome is important because prompt treatment can help you avoid potential long-term problems such as loss of feeling in some fingers and permanent weakness of the thumb.
People with jobs or hobbies that involve repetitive movement, such as assembly-line workers, grocery checkers, carpenters, or violinists, are more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. Computer use has been thought to be implicated, but a Mayo Clinic study found that even heavy computer use (up to 7 hours a day) did not raise the odds.
If your carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms are mild, resting your hand and wrist for at least to weeks and avoiding, or doing less of, a repetitive movement may be all that is needed. Using a lightweight plastic wrist splint to support your wrist in a neutral position may also help because it can give the affected nerves and tendons time to recover. Your doctor may advise wearing the splint 24 hours a day for several weeks, but some people obtain relief by wearing the splint just at night.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin may help control the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome. If these over-the-counter pain relievers don’t help, a low dose of an oral corticosteroid, such as prednisolone, for two to four weeks can improve symptoms, but prolonged use of such drugs can have serious side effects.
If these measures do not ease your symptoms, your doctor may inject a corticosteroid directly into the carpal tunnel. This approach can provide immediate, dramatic relief, and a study in Arthritis & Rheumatism found that steroid injections were as effective as surgery for long-term (at least one year) relief of symptoms.
If you have been experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms for up to a year or so despite conservative therapy or if you have severe symptoms, such as persistent loss of feeling in your fingers or hand or weakness in your thumb, you may require surgery. In a procedure called open release, the surgeon will cut the transverse carpal ligament that lies over the median nerve to reduce pressure on the nerve and relieve symptoms.
In a newer procedure, the surgeon makes a small incision, inserts a tiny camera and a knife through a lighted tube called an endoscope, and cuts the ligament. Because this endoscopic procedure disturbs less tissue than open surgery, it does not leave a large scar, and recovery time is cut in half.
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