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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is compression of the median nerve as it passes through a narrow tunnel at the wrist. The giveaway is the pattern: numbness and tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers, worst at night, and relieved by shaking the hand out. Mild and moderate cases often respond well to conservative treatment, and a night splint alone helps a great many people.
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Does this sound like you?
Most people have several of these, not all of them.
- Numbness and tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers
- Waking at night needing to shake the hand out — the most characteristic sign
- Dropping things, or fumbling small objects like buttons and coins
- Aching that can travel up the forearm
- In longstanding cases, wasting of the muscle at the base of the thumb
Why it happens
- Repetitive gripping, vibration or sustained wrist positions
- Pregnancy, through fluid retention — this usually resolves afterwards
- Diabetes and thyroid conditions
- A previous wrist fracture changing the shape of the tunnel
- Sleeping with the wrists curled, which many people do without knowing
What we would do about it
Roughly in this order — each step waits for the one before it.
- A night splint holding the wrist neutral, which is simple and often effective
- Nerve and tendon gliding exercises
- Manual therapy through the wrist, forearm and neck
- Reviewing work setup, tool use and grip
- Addressing contributing factors with your GP where relevant
- Referral for nerve conduction studies or a surgical opinion in severe or persistent cases
See a doctor first if
- Your pain followed a significant injury
- It is getting worse rather than settling
- It comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment.
A splint helps more people than expect it to
Many mild and moderate cases settle without surgery. It is worth finding out which you have before assuming an operation is the only route. Ask a question first, or call us on 0403 907 587.
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Other wrist conditions we treat
Related reading: thumb-side wrist pain, the same problem at the elbow and hand symptoms coming from the neck.
General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on Physiopedia.
