Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome affects a nerve in the hand. A channel, called the carpal tunnel, passes from the wrist through to the hand and in this tunnel is the medium nerve. The basis of this injury is tendons and muscles in the hand becoming inflamed – which then reduces the size of the carpal tunnel which puts more pressure onto the nerve. This pressure causes the pain associated with this injury.
Fortunately, this injury is usually short term and quite easy to treat. If the athlete follows the correct treatment guidelines, they should see the pain eventually ease and regain full use of the hand.
Symptoms
Carpal tunnel syndrome usually begins with the person suffering from a mild aching pain in the wrist. This pain can then extend towards the hand, before other symptoms start to kick in.
The athlete will probably feel as though their wrist is significantly weaker than normal and there could also be a numbness or tingling feeling in the hand and fingers. This numbness in the fingers can sometimes transfer into a complete loss of feeling, although this only usually occurs in the advanced stages of the injury. It’s often the case that this pain is worse at night.
Causes
The cause for carpal tunnel syndrome is too much pressure being sat on the medium nerve. This nerve goes through a channel called the carpal tunnel, and this is where the problem starts. If any muscles or tendons in the hand start to inflame, they will press against this tunnel and as a result, there will be increased pressure on the medium nerve. As this nerve is mixed, it’s not only sensory but provides sensation to the thumb and various fingers.
Experts have not yet distinguished the exact reason why the above process occurs. However, most believe that repetitive use of the tendons in the hands and wrists can have an effect, as this can cause fatigue in the area which can provoke swelling. Another possible cause is a person’s physical makeup – with some people unluckily having a narrow carpal tunnel which is forced to put pressure on the nerve.
Treatment
The main suggestion for this injury is rest and ice, which should hopefully reduce the inflammation. There are lots of other options as well, including wrist splinting, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids. The wrist splint option should help ease the pain, with the splint often being used at night with the aim of keeping the area still and not irritating the nerve. The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are simply designed to reduce inflammation in the area which should theoretically improve the injury, as it’s the swelling which causes the problem in the first place. Similarly, injections of corticosteroids should relieve the pain through reducing inflammation.
Like a lot of injuries, doctors generally like to wait a while before recommending surgery for this. The idea is that this injury will heal over time and by operating on the area, unnecessary risks are being taken. However, should the patient go down this route, the surgery will involve cutting the ligament which is pressuring the nerve – which should stop the irritation. Unfortunately, it can still take a while to recover from this injury, with many not regaining full and normal use of their hand until a few months later.
Prevention
As the exact cause of the inflammation in the hand is not yet known, it’s hard to suggest possible prevention methods. The best suggestion is not to put the wrists and hands under too much strain and make sure they are given plenty of rest in between exercising. Quite a lot of people get this injury due to their positioning while using a computer as well – so it’s important to make sure there is hardly any bend on the wrist at all while using a mouse or keyboard.