What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? About the width of your thumb, the carpal tunnel is a narrow channel on the palm side of your wrist. The tunnel protects the median nerve and the tendons that bend your fingers. Pressure on the nerve can cause pain and weakness in your wrist and hand and numbness or tingling in some of your fingers. This pressure is caused by crowding or irritation of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel and can lead to CTS. Extreme wrist positions, as well as a lot of finger use, especially with a lot of force or vibration (such as holding the steering wheel when driving heavy machinery), can all contribute to CTS. CTS is common in professions such as assembly-line work, particularly meat packing; and jobs requiring the use of hand tools, especially tools that vibrate. Although excessive keyboard and computer use is often associated with CTS, those performing assembly line work are 3 times more likely to develop CTS than those who perform data entry work. Some leisure activities can also create CTS, such as sewing, sports such as racquetball and handball, and playing string instruments such as the violin. The following health conditions can also lead to CTS in some individuals: Inflammation and swelling of the tendons of the wrist Injuries to the wrist (strain, sprain, dislocation, fracture) Hormone or metabolic changes (pregnancy, menopause, thyroid imbalance) Fluid retention (eg, during pregnancy) Diabetes Certain medicine use (eg, steroids) Degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis How Can a Physical Therapist Help? moveforwardpt/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=9f3cdf74-3f6f-40ca-b641-d559302a08fc
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 09:18:19 +0000