Information and facts on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a new problem that is affecting many of people today. Women between the ages of 29 - 62 appear to be the most affected by carpal tunnel syndrome. It is associated with the repetitive motion of fingers and hands. Factors that increase the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome are: menopause, Raynaud's disease, pregnancy, hypothyroidism, and diabetes. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome range from mild numbness and faint tingling to extreme pain and crippling of the thumb, fingers, and hand. Symptoms are often worse at night or in the morning. In many cases a colon and intestinal  cleansing can be beneficial.

Almost unheard of only a generation ago, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has rapidly become a bane of modern existence. CTS is the term used to describe a set of symptoms that occur when the median nerve in the wrist is compressed or damaged. The median nerve controls the thumb muscles, and is also responsible for sensation felt in the thumb, the palm, and the first three fingers of the hand. The carpal tunnel is a very small opening about one-quarter inch below the surface of the wrist through which the median nerve passes. The median nerve is vulnerable to compression or injury from a number of sources-swelling due to pregnancy or water retention, pressure from bone spurs, inflammatory arthritis, or even tendinitis.

CTS is associated with repetitive wrist motion injury, which is linked to continuous rapid use of the fingers. Once considered an occupational hazard affecting only supermarket checkout clerks and bookkeepers, CTS did not become widely known until the 1980s, when personal computers came to dominate the workplace. Today, CTS is commonplace among people who earn a living using word processors or other computerized keyboards. Carpal tunnel syndrome can also be caused by strong, steady vibrations that shake the wrist for long periods (such as using a jackhammer or chain saw). Other people whose occupations have been linked to CTS include assembly line workers, athletes, drivers, hairstylists, musicians, restaurant servers, and writers.

Although CTS affects both sexes, women between the ages of twenty-nine and sixty-two seem to be affected more than any other segment of the population. Factors that increase the risk of CTS include menopause, Raynaud's disease, pregnancy, hypothyroidism, and diabetes mellitus. Symptoms of CTS can range from mild numbness and faint tingling to excruciating pain accompanied by a crippling atrophy of the muscles in the thumb. Most commonly, it is experienced as burning, tingling, or numbness in the thumb and the first three fingers. (The little finger is spared because it receives its nerve impulses from outside the carpal tunnel.) The tingling is often referred to as feeling similar to the "pins and needles" associated with a limb "falling asleep," and it also involves a gradual weakening of the thumb. In the beginning, symptoms are often intermittent, but they become persistent as the condition worsens. CTS can affect one or both hands. Symptoms are often worse at night or in the morning, when circulation slows down. Pain may spread to the forearm and, in severe cases, to the shoulder. Not all nerve entrapment problems are in the carpal tunnel area. Though far less common, entrapment of the ulnar nerve, located in the elbow, produces symptoms almost identical to those of CTS. This condition can be very painful and disabling.

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In all matters related to your health please contact a qualified, licensed Medical Consultant or Doctor.