What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Series Summary

The carpal tunnel is a passage in the wrist, bounded on one side by the flexor retinaculum and on three sides by bone; through this tunnel pass the median nerve and flexor tendons to the hand. The entrapment neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, is a painful, numbing, and or weakening condition of the hand and wrist that occurs when the median nerve is compacted. A number of contributing factors may cause carpal tunnel syndrome including a genetic predisposition, work stress, trauma, fluid retention during pregnancy, hypothyroidism, repetitive use of power hand tools, long term stress, cyst development in the hand or wrist, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. If you think you are developing carpal tunnel syndrome, consult your physician so for a proper diagnosis of the cause.

There are preventative and treatment measures that can be employed at home or at work to treat carpal tunnel syndrome and to decrease the possibility of its onset. These measures include frequent breaks from repetitive hand movements such as keyboard and power tool use, proper hand positioning when at work or sleeping, wearing a wrist brace, and preventative hand and wrist exercises.

In this free video series learn from physical therapist Monica Paradise as she demonstrates exercises and stretching and gives advice to treat and prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.

Video Transcript

"Hi! I’m Monica and today we are going to be talking to you about carpal tunnel syndrome. You guys have probably all heard of carpal tunnel syndrome, but might not know exactly what it is or what the symptoms are. Carpal tunnel usually happens with repetitive movements. I will go in to some of the other causes of carpal tunnel in a minute. What happens is, right here you have a nerve that basically runs from your shoulder all the way on down. It gets stuck in here sometimes in the carpal tunnel. What happens is, the nerve ends up getting pressed on, usually from extra fluid being there just because the tissues are irritated. The nerve gets pressed on right here, and then you have numbness, tingling, sometimes you can start having problems with sensation, problems with your hand feeling really cold and definitely pain too. That is usually the biggest complaint of carpal tunnel. I am going to show you some exercises and other things you can avoid, things you can to do to help with carpal tunnel problems. "