How to combat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) develops in the median nerve, which runs along the forearm and towards the hands. It involves muscle weakness and atrophy, accompanied with other symptoms, with most of the weakness and pain centers along the wrist. The disease became well-known and quite frequent in the eighties and nineties, and it has been especially associated with the repetitive and limited wrist movements exercised in daily work culture – examples include constant typing on the keyboard, working with improper postures, and exposing the arms and hands to risky injuries.
It was, and still is, a very common notion that CTS is an activity and environment related disease, but recent researchers have found the correlation controversial. It is now thought that CTS mostly occurs among working people who have a genetic weakness to developing the disease at some point in their lives. Genetic factors may include the unique bone structure of the hands and wrist that have been maintained from one generation to the next.
Though the exact causes of CTS are still very unclear, repetitive manual tasks which move the wrist in only one direction have been found to greatly aggravate pains arising from carpal tunnel syndrome. Similarly, internal fractures along the arm and wrist-line, severe impact or injury on the hands, and psychological distress at work and home have also been associated as causes.
CTS typically starts with weakness in the wrist and hands during sleeping at night, and tingling sensations along the wrist, thumb, index fingers etc. which may slowly become more painful. Pregnant women and obese people are very prone to it as well.
A lot of doctors believe that the occurrence of CTS shouldn’t be closely linked to repetitive hand activities. They trace it to a genetic origin, which makes CTS unpreventable for some patients. However, certain practices and prevention measures have been found to be beneficial for the wrist. Take frequent breaks from work, especially if you are into activities that have a lot of finger movement – keyboard typing, net surfing, game playing, document making etc. Put ice packs on painful or numb wrists for short periods of time.
Using a wrist splint helps a lot, and if you think you’re developing signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, put on a wrist splint before going to sleep at night. A specialist might immediately recommend drugs and steroids, but their effect on reducing CTS is debatable. Herbs like ginger are very helpful supplements and are instantly pain-relieving.
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