Do you have that increasingly painful sensation across your arm or hands? That could be a sign of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This is a condition caused by a pinched nerve, usually along the wrist area. There are numerous factors that can lead to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and that includes the anatomical structure of your wrists. How you use your hands and the pattern of usage can also lead to risks.

Understanding the Carpal Tunnel

The Carpal tunnel is actually a narrow path between the ligaments and bones and is found at the wrist area around the palm. The carpal tunnel protects the main nerve that runs across the hand. When the nerve is compressed, it could cause tingling, numbness, and pain. The hands and arms can grow weak.

Symptoms

This condition is progressive so at first, you might not really take it seriously but as it progresses and becomes more painful, it could be debilitating, causing pain when using your hands. Here are some common symptoms to understand.

  • Numbness and Tingling sensation- normally, you will feel this around the fingers with the exception of the little finger. This can be felt when holding things like your phone, the steering wheel, or after waking up. Some people are able to “shake” the tingling but when the pain starts to increase, it can become constant.
  • Pain- from the fingers to your shoulders, the pain can be felt and this increases in intensity when you use your hands and arms constantly with repetitive motion. The pain normally starts from your palm area and then it extends across.
  • Weakness- you tend to drop items easily and you feel that your hands cannot handle things that you normally do not carry around too much.

Causes

The median nerve is the main nerve that is affected by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Anything that you do that irritates and compresses the median nerve can cause pain and could lead to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. If the hands are fractured, the median nerve could be affected and could lead to this condition. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, it could also lead to this situation.

Prevention

It is necessary to take it easy with how you use your hands. Control your grip and learn to rest your hands if possible. This will protect your hands and offer the relaxation and rehabilitation that it needs. Always work in an ergonomically designed space to make sure that you limit strain on the hands and arms.