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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - An Overview of the Causes and Symptoms
by Brooke Hayles
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a highly painful condition which is caused as a result
of the inflexibility of a particular chief nerve in the wrist. This condition
occurs when the central nerve, which extends from the forearm to the hand, is
highly stressed or compressed at the wrist.
Cause
Carpal tunnel syndrome can happen during daily activities because of the
excessive pressure applied on the wrist nerves while performing lifting or
similar types of stress activities. This results in pain, numbness, stiffness or
itching in various parts of the hand.
This syndrome is usually associated with hard physical stress and is considered
a work-related hazard. The best way to avoid this problem is to reduce or avoid
the activities that would put excessive pressure on the hand and fingers.
Symptoms
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are gradual and would start with soreness,
stiffness or deadness in the wrist and other parts of hand. There can be severe
pain right from shoulder to finger tip.
Later when the problem is at a severe stage, one may feel itching in the hand,
pain and reduced gripping capability. The person may even find it hard to shape
the fist, grab or carry light objects, and may find difficulty in carrying out
physical tasks involving hand operations.
Unfortunately, no one is sure why this problem occurs. It is found in certain
people because of an innate predilection - that is when the carpal tunnel in the
body is not normal and is comparatively smaller or weak. However, the threat of
carpal tunnel syndrome is very common in people who perform assemblage line jobs
that involve heavy hand movement.
The bones in the human wrist are typically arranged in an uneven manner, in the
form of a semi-circle. A tough ligament, known as the carpal ligament, builds a
kind of roof above these bones. This forms a passage called the carpal tunnel.
The median nerve, as well as the tendons that help the bending of the fingers
and wrist, passes along this tunnel. The median nerve is one of two nerves that
gives the hand the feeling ability. This nerve also controls some of the thumb muscles.
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