Causes And Risk Factors Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common medical condition that afflicts many people. The condition involves the carpal tunnel, which is a narrow passageway through the wrist. Small bones create the passageway and protect the median nerve. There are numerous reasons why the median nerve is negatively impacted. Understanding what can cause carpal tunnel syndrome is critical to avoiding the pain and discomfort that comes with the condition. There are also various reasons how and why the carpal tunnel passageway can be narrowed and the nerve to become pinched, including swelling caused by use, hereditary, injury, and other health conditions.Symptoms of the condition include weakness, numbing, tingling, burning, clumsiness, and loss of use of the hand and fingers to grasp things. Need a hand in figuring out the causes of carpal tunnel syndrome? Keep reading to reveal them now.
Pressure On The Median Nerve
When there is pressure on the median nerve, a person suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome. The pressure can be caused by swelling in the passageway through which the median nerve travels. When there is swelling, the amount of room for this nerve, and others are diminished and affects the ability to feel in the hand. Since the median nerve provides feeling to the thumb, index finger, long finger, and part of the ring finger, a patient can experience significant side effects of the nerve being compressed. The pressure can cause numbness and an inability to use the fingers properly, resulting in weakness and an inability to hold onto things. To limit these symptoms consider using a wrist bracewith a removable splint for full use of your hand. There are multiple reasons this pressure can increase and cause a pinch in the median nerve. Understanding the reasons and researching non-surgical methods to combat the pressure is essential in managing the condition.
Next, learn how inflammatory conditions can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome in some patients.
Inflammatory Medical Conditions
Underlying inflammatory medical conditions can lead to swelling in the wrist. This swelling can result in a loss of blood flow to the affected areas. Some medical conditions that are associated with carpal tunnel syndrome include thyroid problems, high blood pressure, and rheumatoid arthritis. These underlying medical conditions can affect the lining of the tendons through the swelling, which will cause compression of the median nerve, leading it to become pinched. To decrease swelling use a hand support bracewith hot and cold therapy relief. Attending to these conditions and taking steps to get them under control can reduce the swelling around the tendons, lessening the pressure, and alleviating some of the discomfort a patient may experience. Understanding the impact of inflammatory conditions can help manage symptoms and decide on the correct course of action. There are non-surgical remedies that should be tried before resulting to surgical intervention, especially if the underlying condition is chronic. This is because if the underlying condition is chronic, the carpal tunnel syndrome can be managed non-surgically.
Keep reading to find out how a simple fracture can lead to this painful condition.
Wrist Dislocation Or Fracture
Injury to the wrist can have a significant impact on carpal tunnel syndrome. It can lead to anatomical deficiencies that can alter the room within the tunnel. This can cause compression on the nerves and lead to complications associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. Furthermore, every person is different. This means that the space within the carpal tunnel may be different from person to person. If the spacing is different, then the amount of damage or dislocation needed to cause carpal tunnel syndrome will be different. It's important to use a wrist brace if damage has been done to the wrist to prevent carpal tunnel. A wrist dislocation or fracture for one person may cause significant narrowing, while another person may have no issue with it. Remember, if you damage or fracture your wrist, it may result in broken bones, or it may lead to chronic carpal tunnel syndrome, which will need separate medical attention to treat properly.
Continue reading to uncover a classic cause of this syndrome now.
Long-Term Repetitive Motions
One of the most common causes associated with carpal tunnel syndrome is long-term repetitive motions. Most individuals think about office workers when confronted with carpal tunnel syndrome cases. However, there are many other industries that have employees suffering from this condition. These industries include manufacturing and cleaning, especially where there is a vibrating component. Any job that demands doing the same thing repetitively can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. For example, driving is a vehicle is a repetitive motion and a carpal tunnel steering wheel cover can reduce pain and symptoms. It emanates from causing irritation, thickening, and swelling of the tendons within the carpal tunnel and the resulting compression of the median nerve. This compression causes the median nerve to be pinched. There are some techniques that can help reduce the impact on the wrist, including splints, massagers, stretching devices and job rotation. This will give the wrist time to rest and heal, allowing the swelling to decrease and the wrist to be used with different motions. Without these kinds of interventions, a person may ultimately need surgery to relieve the pressure.
Next, find out the significant role that other medical conditions play that can cause nerve damage and ultimately, carpal tunnel syndrome.
Medical Conditions Increasing The Risk Of Nerve Damage
Individuals suffering from various medical conditions are more prone to nerve damage. One of these diseases is diabetes. Just like diabetes causing neuropathy in the feet, it can damage the median nerve. In some cases, carpal tunnel syndrome is considered a precursor to diabetes due to nerve damage associated with the disease. It makes sense that if diabetes is affecting some nerves, it could affect the median nerve, causing pain, numbness, and tingling. If left untreated, it can lead to significant weakness in the fingers and thumb, which can affect daily life.
Other conditions can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, such as hypothyroidism and obesity. It is believed that people suffering from hypothyroidism have certain deposits in tissues that cause pressure on the median nerve, resulting in carpal tunnel syndrome. There is ongoing research into the connection between obesity and carpal tunnel syndrome. While the correlation is still unclear, studies have found that weight loss can result in a decrease of carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.
Discussing your medical conditions, work habits, and therapeutic measures with a doctor can help determine the best course of action for each case. Every person’s anatomy is a little different, so there should be an individualized plan for the patient based on their various health needs.