Do you suffer from pain and/or loss of sensation in the thumb and possibly neighbouring fingers? Do you need to shake your hand and wrist out in the morning to make your hand feel better? Are you getting hand weakness?
These are all common signs and symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). CTS is the most common and widely known of the entrapment neuropathies, in which a body's peripheral nerve is compressed, and is caused by pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel in your wrist.
This post provides some insight into the syndrome and some simple tips to help you with this frustrating condition. If you are possibly suffering from CTS then we advise you follow up with your therapist to ensure a treatment approach that is specific to your presentation.
Please do not use this post as a treatment tool, but merely for educational purposes. We suggest that you follow up with your clinician to create a program that is individualized to your presentation.
Current State
- 8% of people will have CTS at some point in their lives
- 28%-62% of patients will RECOVER without treatment
- 32%-58% of patients will get WORSE without treatment
Common Symptoms
- Pain and loss of feeling in the thumb, index/middle fingers and a portion of the ring finger
- Need to "shake out" the hand when you wake up in the morning
- Hand weakness and dropping items
- Muscle wasting at base of the thumb
Risk Factors
- Women 3X more LIKELY than men
- > 30 years old
- Obesity (high BMI)
- Inflammatory conditions (ex. RA)
- Diabetes
- Type of work (prolonged assembly line work, vibration machinery, and CPU)
Treatment
- Neutral-positioned night brace
- Education
- Stretches
- Modify risk factors (posture, activities)
- Manual therapy
- Superficial heat
- Nerve gliding exercises
- Surgery if conservative treatment fails
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