Have you ever heard about a Carpal tunnel? No, this is not a tunnel in Switzerland. It is a medical condition called carpal tunnel syndrome, which can cause pain and numbness in the fingers and the hands. It happens if the median nerve gets squeezed while passing through a tunnel in the wrist called carpal tunnel.
This tunnel is formed from bones and ligaments in the wrist. Normally, the median nerve and some tendons travel together through this tunnel. So, any conditions affecting these tendons will make them swollen, and the tunnel will become relatively narrow, which can cause pinching on the nerve. This condition can also happen, in people who use their hands continuously by doing repetitive movements, such as typing or playing musical instruments.
The median nerve is responsible for the sensation and the movement of thumb, index and the middle finger as well as half of the palm that is close to the thumb. Other conditions can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, for example obesity, diabetes, fluid retention like in pregnancy or trauma to the wrist.
What are the symptoms? Mostly, pain and tingling in thumb, index, middle finger and part of the palm. Typically, the pain gets worst at night. Sometimes, they might feel weakness in the muscle of the fingers and hand. These symptoms could gradually become worse with activities such as typing, driving or holding the phone for longtime.
Most of the time, we can make the diagnosis during the exam by tapping or pressing on the wrist over the median nerve which will make the symptoms worse. We can also confirm it by doing a test called nerve conduction study.
For the treatment we can use wrist splint to keep the wrist in a neutral position like this way. Also, we can give anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the swelling or cortisone shot into the tunnel. Finally, surgery might help the symptoms if it is not improving
Video shot by Galia Helbaoui and edited by Amer Helbaoui
11 янв 2023
