If you’ve been living with numbness, burning or shooting pain in your wrist and hands, it could be more than sore muscles- you could be suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Carpel Tunnel can have painful, devastating, long term effects, but it is treatable.
What Is Capral Tunnel Syndrome: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when the medial nerve is compressed at the wrist as it passes through an anatomical structure called the carpal tunnel. Some individuals, women more likely than men, are just born with a narrow tunnel, while in other cases, the compression can be due to swelling that is caused by some other disease altogether.
Symptoms: The symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can vary, but will generally effect your hands and wrists. It usually starts with a feeling of your hands being swollen, warm and tingly. If untreated, carpal tunnel syndrome can seriously affect your ability to use your hands- and is especially dangerous for the muscles of the thumb. Our fingers allow us to perform countless daily tasks- from feeding ourselves to getting dressed and our thumbs especially are crucial in our ability to get a good grip on objects. In the worst cases, something as simple as picking up your phone to make a call or send a text message will become a challenge.
Treatment: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a serious condition, but it is manageable with treatment by a doctor. Methods of treatment include medication to reduce pain and swelling of the tunnel, physical therapy, and even acupuncture. In some cases, surgery may be required. Any surgery is scary and does carry risks, but not having treatment when treatment is needed may leave your hands irreparably damaged.
If you think that you might have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, you want to contact your doctor right away. The sooner you begin treatment, the less likely you are to suffer painful damage to your hands and fingers.
