Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, part 1

I thought that it would be a good idea to cover a serious topic that many people may experience during their lifetime. In fact, we have our own example here at MMS, Tina was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and I will take you through her experience.

First, I would like to explain what carpal tunnel syndrome is and explain a few of the symptoms. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve becomes pressed or squeezed. The median nerve runs from the forearm into the palm of your hand. The median nerve controls sensations from the thumb and fingers – the pinkie finger is the exception. The carpal tunnel, a narrow passageway of ligament and bones, begins at the base of the hand and houses tendons and the median nerve. When the tendons become irritated or swollen this causes the tunnel to narrow and compresses the median nerve. Pain, weakness or numbness starts to happen in the hand, wrist, and may travel up the arm. So if you have any of these types of pain you should go and have your carpal tunnel checked. One of the key sensations is numbness in the thumb and fingers taking note that the ring finger has numbness on the middle finger side but has full feeling on the pinkie finger side, and the pinkie finger has full feeling.

Tina has had pain and numbness in her hands for years, she even went in for a nerve conductivity test and the results were – she had issues. She had frequent numbness, tingling, decreased grip strength and a lot of pain. She would put her hands in braces to help support her wrists, but finally she went in and had surgery to correct the issues and I will be taking you on her journey from surgery through recovery. Check back tomorrow and I will be showing you some causes and who is at risk for carpal tunnel syndrome.