You’ve noticed that sometimes your fingers and thumb are painful and have a tingling sensation. The discomfort is waking you in the night. What’s going on? You may have carpal tunnel syndrome.
Our board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Peter Kelleher, with Alpine Orthopedics and Sports Medicine treats many cases of carpal tunnel.
Numerous occupations can place you at increased risk for the syndrome. Workers on assembly lines, musicians, hair stylists, office workers, construction crews, and butchers are just some of the many occupations that put you at risk.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful musculoskeletal condition of the thumb, fingers, wrist, and hand caused by compression of your median nerve.
Your median nerve starts in your upper arm and runs down to your forearm, through your wrist, and into your hand. It controls movement in your lower thumb and your first four fingers.
If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, there’s a good chance you use repetitive hand movements throughout the day, whether it’s typing on a computer keyboard, plucking guitar strings, using power drills, blowing out hair in a salon, or using your hands to put together items on an assembly line.
Those repeated movements over an extended period can irritate the lining of the tendons in your wrist, resulting in compression of your median nerve. The nerve is irritated as it moves through the carpal tunnel.
People with inflammatory medical conditions, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout, are also more prone to carpal tunnel because of nerve damage. Genetics can play a role. In fact, some carpal tunnels are smaller than others. An accident such as a wrist fracture could also precipitate carpal tunnel.
In most cases, carpal tunnel can be treated conservatively, especially when diagnosed and treated early.
activity. You’ve overused your fingers, hand, or wrist. We provide a doctor’s note specifying a period for rest and any accommodations if your condition affects your work.
We prescribe a wrist brace for your carpal tunnel syndrome. The brace allows your wrist to rest by keeping it in a neutral position. You can wear the brace both day and night. You may not realize that your hand can curl into a U-shaped position when you sleep, worsening your condition. The brace helps keep your wrist comfortable.
If your pain is severe, we can administer a steroid injection unless it’s contraindicated for you. The steroid helps calm the inflammation and lessen your pain.
Once your initial inflammation subsides, we’ll most likely order physical therapy. Physical therapy helps you strengthen your hand and wrist muscles to regain lost range of motion.
If carpal tunnel is caught in the early stages, surgery isn’t usually required. However, if conservative treatments haven’t worked, we perform a minor procedure to release the nerve.
The longer your nerve has been compressed, the more time it takes to recover from carpal tunnel surgery. This is a compelling reason to seek early treatment for pain, numbness, or tingling in your hand and wrist. Depending on the type of surgery, you may need stitches. You’ll wear a splint and receive physical therapy.
Call Alpine Orthopedics and Sports Medicine or request an appointment online if you suspect you have carpal tunnel syndrome.
