Neurology Diagnostics

Posts Tagged ‘What is carpal tunnel syndrome?’

You are working at your desk, trying to ignore the cramps or numbness has been felt for months in the hand and wrist. Suddenly, he begins to feel a sharp stabbing pain in the wrist that runs through the arm. Is it a passing cramp? Chances are that you suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful progressive condition caused by compression of a major nerve in the wrist.

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, pressed or trapped at the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the back of the fingers (except the little finger) and the impulses of some small muscles in the hand that allow them to move the fingers and thumb. The carpal tunnel-a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand contains the nerve and tendons medium.

Sometimes, thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and cause them to compress the median nerve. The result can be pain, weakness or numbness of the hand and wrist, radiating across the arm. Although painful sensations may indicate other conditions, carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common compression neuropathies and widely known of which are compressed or traumatized body’s peripheral nerves.

What are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?
Symptoms usually begin gradually and are manifested by feelings of warmth, cramping, or numbness in the palm and fingers, especially the thumb and index and middle fingers. Some patients with carpal tunnel syndrome say their fingers feel swollen and useless, although no apparent swelling. Symptoms often first appear in one or both hands during the night, since many people sleep with bent wrists.

A person with carpal tunnel syndrome may wake up feeling the need to “shake” the hand or wrist. As symptoms worsen, patients begin to feel the cramp during the day. The decrease in the pulse of the hand can hamper a fist, grasp small objects or perform other manual tasks. In chronic cases and / or untreated, the muscles at the base of the thumb can weaken or atrophy. Some people can not distinguish between heat and cold by touch.