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At the base of your wrist is a group of small bones called the “carpals.”
The “carpal tunnel” runs through these bones allowing
nerves and tendons to pass through to your fingers. If you were
to look at a cross section of the wrist and hand, with the palm
facing up, the carpals would represent the floor and side walls
of the tunnel. Inside the crowded tunnel are nine tendons, various
blood vessels and the median nerve.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the compression of the median nerve as
it passes through the tunnel.
Anything which limits space inside the tunnel can cause compression
of the median nerve. Swelling of any of the various structures in
and around the tunnel will cause this to happen, resulting in CTS
symptoms (numbness, pain, partial paralysis). Bone changes can also
cause CTS. If you have broken your wrist and it heals in such a
way that the shape of the row of carpal bones changes, it can lead
to a smaller physical space inside the tunnel, thus producing CTS
symptoms.
To alleviate CTS the pressure on the median nerve must be relieved.
Surgery can provide relief by opening the carpal tunnel and making
a bigger space for the nerve to pass through thus decreasing the
stress on the nerve. In the early to moderate stages of the disease,
surgery may not be the best answer. If you are uncomfortable with
the procedure therapy can help. Hand therapy provides you with the
tools and knowledge to help decrease or eliminate your symptoms,
and can help it from recurring in the future. By splinting the wrist
to help relieve pressure in the carpal tunnel, you can reduce symptoms.
Stretching and strengthening can also help reduce symptoms.
A hand therapist’s job is not complete until the source of
the problem is found. If the symptoms are produced by a work related
task, a trained therapist can analyze them, as well as your work
station, making suggestions for changes that can reduce your symptoms.
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