Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome (“CTS”) occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist.  The median nerve controls the feeling on the palm side of the thumb and fingers.

The carpal tunnel - a narrow passageway at the bottom of the hand contains the median nerve and tendons.  Sometimes thickened tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the median nerve to be compressed.  This can cause pain, weakness, and/or numbness in the hand and wrist.

What are the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Symptoms usually start slowly, with mild tingling of the fingers.  The symptoms often first appear in one or both hands during the night as many people sleep with their wrists bent.  A person with carpal tunnel syndrome may be woken by pins and needles in the hands.  As symptoms get worse, people start to feel tingling during the day.  Grip strength can also be affected and this can make it hard to hold small objects, or perform other manual tasks.  In severe cases, the muscles at the base of the thumb may waste away.

What tests can confirm that I suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Your doctor will want to discuss your symptoms to exclude any possible other causes.  One key to the questioning is that the median nerve doesn't affect the little finger, so symptoms in that finger may indicate a different problem. Your doctor will also want to test the feeling in your fingers and the strength of the muscles in your hand, because these can be affected by carpal tunnel syndrome.  By putting pressure on the median nerve at the wrist by either bending, tapping the wrist or simply pressing on the nerve, can bring on the symptoms.

What causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

There are a variety of causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  The condition can occur naturally within people and is more prevalent in women aged over 40 years of age.  The condition can also be brought on by other health problems such as diabetes or thyroid disorders.  However there has been a rise in the condition being caused by heavy manual or repetitive work.  This is because repetitive flexing and extending of the hands and wrists, especially when done forcefully for prolonged periods increases pressure on the carpal tunnel.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is also caused by exposure to vibration from hand held vibratory tools.  The use of these tools is common in various industries such as steel, engineering, construction etc.  Carpal tunnel syndrome caused by vibration has been accepted as an Industrial Injury by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Counsel (Department for Work and Pensions) since 1992.