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Understanding: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

a patient performing a carpal tunnel test

Did you know that there are literally thousands of people in the UK who are suffering from mild or severe forms of carpal tunnel syndrome and doing very little about it? Many people reading this article may have mild or very severe cases of carpal tunnel and don’t really understand it so are doing nothing about it. So let’s take a quick look at what it is and why you can easily get it, then you can follow the link for a rehabilitation exercise to treat it without surgery.

Okay, carpal tunnel syndrome is described as “the compression of the median nerve at the level of the wrist”. Simply put the nerve is squashed or suffocated by the other tendons in the wrist because they swell with heat after moving around in the forearm and wrist.

an anatomy image of the wrist

Okay, carpal tunnel syndrome is described as “the compression of the median nerve at the level of the wrist”. Simply put the nerve is squashed or suffocated by the other tendons in the wrist because they swell with heat after moving around in the forearm and wrist.

A big more medical: The carpal tunnel is made up of the carpal bones and the carpal ligament which is called a retinaculum. Under the carpal ligament lies the tendons of hands and forearm, the median nerve and the median artery. When the tendons become inflamed under the carpal ligament the space around the median nerve. Constant irritation can cause a thickening of the nerve which in turn will decrease space under the carpal tunnel. Patients will suffer symptoms such as:

  • Numbness
  • Tingling in the thumb
  • Loss of power in the hands
  • Pain on flexion or extension of the wrist

Cause

The main cause of carpal tunnel pain is not like many people want to tell you is the wrist but actually the forearm. In the forearm the muscles and tendons are often under worked and decrease in length and power. We predominantly focus our effort and strength at the wrist.

Office workers also spend more time just using the wrist and not the forearm.

If you want to have an effective treatment for carpal tunnel pain or a repetitive wrist injury that does not require surgery, then give us a call on 01522 511834 today, we can help.