what is carpal tunnel syndrome?

Question

what if only the ring finger and the pinkie finger seems to lose its function, is it still carpal tunnel syndrome?

doctor said it affects the nerves on my left hand and gave me nervilon to take three times a day. the doctor also said that if the ring and pinkie finger still continues to numb and does not function normally, he willrefer me to a physical therapist. what can be done about this symptom? is it curable?

Answer 1

What is the carpal tunnel?
There are eight small bones called carpal bones in the wrist. A ligament (also called retinaculum) lies across the front of the wrist. Between this ligament and the carpal bones is a space called the carpal tunnel. The tendons that attach the forearm muscles to the fingers pass through the carpal tunnel. A main nerve to the hand (median nerve) also goes through this tunnel before dividing into smaller branches in the palm.

The median nerve gives feeling to the thumb, index and middle fingers, and half of the ring finger. It also controls the movement to the small muscles at the base of the thumb.

Sugery has been known to be very effective in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, also wearing a wrist brace approved for the treatment of Carpal Tunnel may also help.
Symptoms vary from mild to severe depending on how 'squashed' the median nerve becomes. One or both hands may be affected. Symptoms tend to come and go at first, often after you use the hand. Typically, symptoms are worse at night and may wake you up. The symptoms may be eased for a while by raising the hand up or hanging it down. 'Flicking' the wrist may also give relief. Symptoms persist all the time if the condition becomes severe.
What are the treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome?

General measures
Try not to over-use your wrist by squeezing, gripping, wringing, etc. If you are overweight, losing some weight may help. Painkillers may be prescribed to ease the pain. If the condition is part of a more general medical condition (such as arthritis) then treatment of that condition may help.

Non-surgical options

Not treating is an option, particularly if symptoms are mild. In some cases symptoms go over time without treatment. In up to 1 in 3 cases the symptoms go without treatment within six months. (In about 2 in 3 cases that develop during pregnancy the symptoms go after the baby is born.) The situation can be reviewed if symptoms get worse.
One or two steroid injections into, or near to, the carpal tunnel is an option. Steroids reduce inflammation. The steroid is combined with a local anaesthetic to make the injection painless. One study found that a single injection eased symptoms in about 3 in 4 cases. Symptoms returned in some people but about half of the treated people were free of symptoms a year later. Another study found that two steroid injections given 14 days apart was as good as surgery (in cases where there was no wasting of the muscles when surgery is usually needed.) Other studies report variable success rates with steroid injections.
Steroid tablets reduce inflammation and are likely to ease symptoms. A short course of tablets may be an option. However, long-term steroid tablets are not advised as side-effects are likely to develop. Therefore, if symptoms return after a course of steroids then surgery should be considered.
A splint to keep the wrist in a fixed position and 'rested' may cure the problem. It is worn for a few weeks (especially at night).
Ultrasound treatment has been reported to ease symptoms in some cases. It is not clear how this works, but it may help to reduce inflammation. Ultrasound is painless. However, it requires 20 or more treatment sessions and it may not be available in your area.
Surgery
A small operation can cut the ligament over the front of the wrist and ease the pressure in the carpal tunnel. This usually cures the problem. It is usually done under local anaesthetic. You will not be able to use your hand for work for a few weeks after the operation. A small scar on the front of the wrist will remain. There is a low risk of complications from this operation.

Hope this helps,
Kimberly, RRT

Answer 2

Could be. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a name given to a variety of symptoms manifesting when the carpel tunnel ( a small space in the wrist that the nerve bundle for the hands goes through) is closed obstructed causing pressure on the nerves.

Sometimes the swelling will go down if you cease the repetitive motion that caused the swelling. If not surgery is the answer. It used to be a big deal but now they just do about a 1" cut on the palm of you hand near the wrist. they cut the ligament that holds the bones of the wrist and it takes off the pressure/swelling.

Answer 3

I don't know anything about nervilon. I couldn't find it in my drug guide, in the medical dictionary or MedicineNet.com's medication dictionary. It is probably a new medication so I can't give you any advise with it.

The physical therapist is the best way to treat your condition. They should show you how to move your hand so as to not make the situation worse. They will also give you exercises (and yes they will hurt) to do. Your main enemy is going to be the swelling inside the bones of your wrist and hand. Your condition sounds like it is more likely that your problem lies in your fingers not your wrist, but determining that is the doctor's job.

No you cannot be cured, but you can get better. You should consider wearing a splint that will hold your hand or the affected fingers in a fashion where you won't increase the swelling. Ask your physical therapist about this, the probably have one. Then you will need to make some changes in how you use your hands. Since you have this condition in one hand or in two fingers then it is likely that you could have another joint that could create enough swelling to give you trouble. The best treatment is rest and exercise with medication to keep the swelling down.

Carpal Tunnel syndrome is caused by a narrowing of the space in the connective tissue in the wrist joint. This is caused by over use of the wrist, which creates a pressure on the nerves and tendons. This narrow gap is caused by a very minor gene abnormality or just plain over use and improper use of the hand. It is considered a form of Arthritis and handled by a Rheumatologist. The carpals are very small bones that form interlocking joints that make a wide range of motion possible.

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpal_tunnel
“In the human wrist there is a sheath of tough connective tissue which envelopes and protects one nerve (median nerve) and tendons, which attach muscles to the wrist and hand bones. The carpal tunnel is the space between this sheath (above) and the bones (below) making up the wrist and hand (carpal bones). The term 'carpal tunnel' is also used quite commonly to refer to 'carpal tunnel syndrome' which is a condition where the median nerve is pinched within the tunnel and causes pain and/or numbness of the wrist/hand, once thought to be a result of repetitive motion such as painting or typing.”

Check out Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpals
Look at the gray and color image to see just what 8 bones are involved. The wrist needs these flexible joints so it can run the nerves and tendons through the bone. If a ball-and-socket joint were used, like it is in the shoulder, then the tendons would get resistance and not the mechanical advantage required to give us our flexibility.

The best way to treat it is to use surgery to relieve the stress, or to make the channel in the bone larger. This is also the most drastic way to treat it and the most expensive. More often than not the risks of surgery are not worth it. Since any damage to the nerves is can result in chronic pain, loss of sensation, or even paralysis. Microsurgery inside the carpel bones is possible, but very difficult to do, and still a little experimental.

The next best way is to use a splint to keep the joint from bending, or to find a way to reduce the stress on the joint. It can be painful to wear that splint though (I know from experience), and take anti-inflammatory medications like Motrin or Aleve. Aspirin will not help; it works by breaking apart the blood platelets. In the case of a headache this can increase the blood flow to the region. It doesn’t handle inflammation very well though. Vitamin B6 could help with the inflammation or the pain, but it is not a cure, only a treatment.

Make sure you have the proper diagnoses. I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for a while until the pain spread to other joints and became more serious.

Prednisone is a powerful pain-relieving steroid that can be useful for the short term. It causes drastic and violent mood swings and bone necropsy over a longer period so I don’t recommend it (I was on it several times, Once I developed a spontaneous nose bleed another time I developed such and angry temper that my friends couldn’t believe me. It also caused me boughts of fear and sheer unreasonable terror reactions—very dangerous stuff.) You never know just what prednisone will do so I would use it very sparingly and only occasionally, however it is the cheapest and best pain relief I have ever used.

Carpal Tunnel is a life long condition; it will always crop up again and again. You need to relieve the stress on the wrist. Get a keyboard wrist support and thing about buying an ergonomic keyboard. Now days keyboards are universal so you can use one on your work computer without any problems (still I would contact the computer pro, at work, to make sure the proper drivers are installed on your computer, not on the network, and that they know you are doing this. Take frequent breaks from typing and try to avoid putting stress on the wrist joint.

Check out
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm
Medicine.net: http://www.medicinenet.com/carpal_tunnel_syndrome/article.htm
About.com: http://arthritis.about.com/od/carpal/
Familydoctor.org: http://familydoctor.org/023.xml
EMedicine Health: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/carpal_tunnel_syndrome/article_em.htm
American College of Rheumatology: http://www.rheumatology.org/press/2005/carpaltunnel0205.asp

Beware of the scams though. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Nothing will cure Carpal Tunnel Syndrome unless it increases the size of the channel inside the bone itself. Any topical treatment will be just as good as using something like Ben Gay (which contains the same pepper in mace, it causes an increased blood flow that can take fatigue poisons out of the area). These will be a temporary solution at best; they don’t treat the root cause or cure the behavior that caused the condition in the first place.

The only CURE for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is surgery. The only way to PREVENT it is to use a wrist support, or an ergonomic keyboard, or other such devices to relieve the stress. You can use a wrist splint to TRAIN your wrist not to move in the improper positions. There are many ways to RELIVE THE SYMPTOMS including drugs, acupuncture, and topical treatments, but they don’t cure the problem; they only provide a temporary solution.

Answer 4

well i have carpal tunnel in both hands. my thumb,pinkie is most affected. does your hands tingle? lift them over your head straight up for a few sec do they start to tingle? fall asleep at night of course pain,swelling. also in the wrist area and also it can affect your arms,shoulders,neck,elbow. i would think they would do a EEG i believe its called. a test for carpal tunnel or pinched nerves.good luck to you. also therapy can help but never did me. if you do repetitious work it will only get worse. i had surgery and went back to the same job and its back again. if it happened at work well then they are responsible. you may have to see there Dr but not for long request to see your own doctor. trust me on this.

Answer 5

From repetitive motion whether it be on the computer, mastubating too much or a carpenter with his hammer. 3 Ways to get it; the choice is youres!

Answer 6

Check out this link: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm

Answer 7

when you use your comp too much