Carpal tunnel syndrome definition- One Disease, Different Implications

Definition

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a compression neuropathy that occurs when median nerve is compressed at the region where it crosses the wrist. This occurs in the symptoms of numbness, tingling and weakness experienced by those suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. CTS is much more common in women than it is in men and has a peak incidence around age 50. It likely is present to the extent in up to 10% of the adult population no a days.

Description

The carpal tunnel syndrome is an area in the wrist formed by bones and ligaments. It provides a protected passageway for median nerve. The median nerve is responsible for feelings and movement in the hand particularly the thumb and first three fingers. When pressure is applied to median nerve, the hand feels as if it has gone to sleep.

Causes:

Few conditions that can lead to pressure on the median nerve include pregnancy, obesity, arthritis, diabetes, certain diseases of the thyroid and pituitary glands and injuries to the arm and wrist. One of the most common causes of carpel tunnel syndrome is repetitive motion. Repetitive motion is a few activities that a person performs again and again. Typing, working at a computer keyboard or cash register, playing some kinds of musical instruments and working at certain types of factory jobs may involve repetitive motion. Repetitive motion forces a person to use the wrist all over again. This can lead to swelling in the carpal tunnel area putting subsequent pressure on the media nerve and thus to CTS.

Few symptoms

Carpal tunnel syndromes' symptoms include numbness, burning, tingling and a prickly pin-like sensation in the palm of the hand, thumb and fingers. Some persons notice a shooting pain that starts in the wrist and goes up into the arm down into the hand and fingers. CTS can also lead to the muscle weakness in the hand. A person may have difficulty opening jars and holding objects. Later hands and thumb muscles may actually decrease in size. If left untreated it can result in permanent weakness in the hand and fingers, loss of feeling and even paralysis of the thumb and fingers. The early use of splints can also help to put a stop to the people at risk for CTS from developing the condition at the very begging.