Carpal Tunnel Syndrome — Causes and Treatment

Many of us work at jobs where we use the same motions over and over and over again. Those who work on assembly line jobs, type on a computer keyboard all day, or operate the same piece of equipment using the same motion over and over again all the time are very likely to have carpal tunnel syndrome at some point in their lives. Jobs that require repetitive hand and wrist motion are often the causes of carpal tunnel syndrome but there can be other causes as well. A wrist injury or swelling due to certain diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis can also cause carpal tunnel syndrome.

I wish I could show you a picture, but a word picture will have to do. Look at your hand. Do you see the place where the hand kind of folds when you move your thumb toward the little finger? That is the location of the carpal tunnel. That is where all of the nerves and tendons that make your hands work are routed up to your arm and beyond. The carpal tunnel is a small opening made up of ligament and bone at the base of your hand. You can't exactly drive a truck through it. It is just big enough to allow the nerves and tendons passage, and there isn't any "play" room.

Carpal tunnel syndrome sometimes happens when an irritated tendon or something else causes the opening to swell and narrow the passage. This swelling causes a nerve or nerves to be compressed, and pain is the result.

Some people have more narrow carpal tunnels than others. Women are three times more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome than men are. The treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome includes resting your hand, applying splints, taking pain and anti-inflammatory medicines, and sometimes even surgery.