Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition of the hand caused by the compression of the median nerve at the wrist. At its onset, the condition often produces relatively subtle symptoms, with most people experiencing tingling or numbness in the palms of their hands and their fingers, particularly at night. Over time, these symptoms tend to present themselves more frequently, until eventually they become present at all times. In its most severe form, carpal tunnel syndrome may produce such symptoms as chronic pain, decreased grip strength, and numbness that radiates up the length of the arm. Fortunately, there are both non-surgical and surgical treatments, including endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery, available for carpal tunnel syndrome at the Caringbah office location of Southern Hand & Wrist, serving the Sutherland Shire, South-Eastern Sydney, and communities throughout New South Wales.
If you are suffering from the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, it is important that you have your condition diagnosed and treated. Please contact Southern Hand & Wrist to schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Jai Sungaran today.
What is the carpal tunnel?
The carpal tunnel is a narrow, rigid passageway that can be found on the palm side of your wrist. Comprising ligaments and bones, the carpal tunnel protects the median nerve and the tendons responsible for bending your fingers. Any condition that causes a narrowing of the carpal tunnel or otherwise exerts pressure on the median nerve can result in carpal tunnel syndrome.
What are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?
The most common symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome are numbness and tingling, especially of the thumbs and the index and middle fingers on the palm side of the hand. You may have carpal tunnel syndrome if you:
- Experience burning, tingling, itching, or numbness in any or all of the fingers except for your little finger.
- Commonly wake up from a sound sleep with above-listed symptoms.
- Frequently feel the urge to shake out” your hands in order to relieve the above-listed symptoms.
- Often experience the above-listed symptoms while gripping items, such as a book, a cup, or a steering wheel.
- Have begun to drop objects more frequently.
Some people believe that they can simply cope with carpal tunnel syndrome, not realising that the condition can become progressively more debilitating over time. Symptoms can intensify, with the grip becoming weaker, and pain becoming more intense. Eventually, if left untreated, serious and permanent nerve and muscle damage can occur.
What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
What is known for certain is that carpal tunnel syndrome is generally caused by the compression of the median nerve. In most cases, however, a single definitive cause of a patient’s carpal tunnel syndrome cannot be pinpointed. Multiple factors can contribute to an individual’s condition, including:
- Previous injuries to the wrist, including sprains and fractures
- Rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause the wrist to become swollen and inflamed
- Congenital factors, such as an abnormally narrow carpal tunnel
- A glandular problem, such as an overactive pituitary gland
- Hypothyroidism
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Tendon inflammation due to repetitive work
Studies have revealed that women are three times more likely than men to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, while assembly line workers are more likely to develop the condition than workers in any other occupation.
How is carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed?
Diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome involves careful analysis of a patient’s symptoms, as well as the exclusion of other conditions. There is not a test for carpal tunnel syndrome, per se. A physical exam will help to determine the sensitivity of the fingers, the strength of the muscles in the hand and fingers, and whether there is a link between the patient’s symptoms and the median nerve.
Other diagnostic tests, including x-ray, electromyogram, and nerve conduction study, can help to rule out other conditions and narrow the diagnosis to carpal tunnel syndrome.
How is carpal tunnel syndrome treated non-surgically?
In cases in which carpal tunnel syndrome is diagnosed in its earliest stages, when symptoms are still mild to moderate, Dr. Sungaran will recommend the most conservative, non-surgical treatment that is likely to produce the best results possible.
For some patients, this may simply mean a change in lifestyle. He may suggest that they take more frequent breaks from the necessary activities that aggravate their symptoms while avoiding those activities that are unnecessary, do some exercises to build up strength in their wrists and hands, and apply cold compresses to alleviate swelling when it does occur.
For other patients, he may recommend splint therapy, especially during their sleeping hours. By wearing a wrist splint while sleeping, many patients experience a dramatic reduction in their symptoms even when they are awake.
Other patients respond well to corticosteroid injections, which can temporarily lessen the effects of carpal tunnel syndrome by relieving pressure on the median nerve.
How is carpal tunnel syndrome treated surgically?
In cases in which non-surgical treatments prove ineffective, or in which the symptoms are so severe that non-surgical treatment is ruled out as an effective means of treatment, Dr. Sungaran will recommend endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery. Working through a keyhole incision of 15mm, he cuts the ligament that binds the carpal tunnel. This enlarges the carpal tunnel and relieves the pressure on the median nerve.
Because Dr. Sungaran uses minimally invasive methods to perform the surgery, patients are generally able to recover more quickly than they would if they were to undergo open carpal tunnel release. Nevertheless, full recovery requires months, including physical therapy to restore strength to the hand and wrist.
Fortunately, the vast majority of patients who undergo carpal tunnel release surgery achieve excellent results and do not experience a relapse of their symptoms.
Learn More about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Diagnosis and Treatment
To learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome at our Sutherland Shire practice, please contact our Caringbah or Sydney Olympic Park rooms of Southern Hand & Wrist today.
