Fields of treatment / Orthopedy / Carpal tunnel
Carpal tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a type of compression neuropathy, a condition in the hand, affecting the nerves in the upper extremity. It is caused by the pressure on the median nerve, which runs through the carpal tunnel. The pressure is caused by either an injury, or by putting too much stress on your wrist. Typically, this happens when you use your PC mouse over and over again in an incorrect position. The condition mostly affects middle-aged women.
Symptoms and treatment
Symptoms include tingling, numbness, pain and loss of feeling in the fingers, usually at night or when resting.
Conservative treatment is usually the first option at early stages of the condition. It may involve changes to your lifestyle, physical therapy, kinesiology taping, application of non-steroid antirheumatic drugs or local steroid injections directly into the carpal tunnel. When conservative management does not yield positive results, surgical procedure might be performed, which eases the pressure on your median nerve. The procedure is done as an open surgery or arthroscopically, and it is performed as at outpatient procedure each time.
