AN OVERVIEW OF CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME PT 2

The symptoms become more clear during the daytime when the condition gets worse. The patient might feel numbness and pain while doing normal day-to-day tasks that require bending the wrist like holing the phone or driving the car. In addition to the pain and tingling in the hand and forearm, the fingers of the patient also become slightly swollen that affect his/her ability to pinch or grip an object. Sometimes, it might cause mild shocks to come and go in the thumb and fingers as well.

As the condition advances, the patient might feel it difficult to work with small objects and drop things occasionally due to the numbness and weakness in the hand. It also makes it hard for the patient to make a fist, eventually leading to a total loss of sensation in the hand. Pain and muscle cramping would also become more severe as the condition aggravates, and in worst cases, it might lead to permanent muscle damage as well.

Diagnosis

Note that the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are very much similar to what a few other health problems show. For instance, the De Quervain’s tenosynovitis condition also affects the tendons that control the thumbs, in turn making it hard for the patient to make a fist, turn the wrist, or grab an object. Similarly, patients suffering from arthritis, ligament damages, neuropathy, or any wrist injury can also have the same symptoms as that experienced in carpal tunnel syndrome. This makes a timely diagnosis of the condition even more important to derive the right treatment plan.

Experts at the community healthcare center would run a few tests to diagnose the condition and determine its severity. Checking for any nerve conduction that might lead to carpal tunnel syndrome is also important here. Usually, most primary doctors and rheumatologists recommend electromyography to diagnose the health problem.

Treatment

The healthcare professional might ask you to change your lifestyle to treat the condition. As carpal tunnel syndrome is seen to be common in people who perform strenuous tasks with their hands daily, doctors recommend taking more frequent breaks between the activities to ease the pressure on the median nerve. Similarly, a few stretching and strengthening exercises are also recommended to alleviate the condition.

If the condition is already at an advanced stage, the physician might advise using a splint to keep the wrist from moving so that there is less pressure on the carpal tunnel and the median nerve. Anti-inflammatory medicines are also recommended to lessen pain and muscle cramping. If none of the measures works to cure the condition, the doctor might recommend surgery as a last resort.