Carpal Tunnel

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a common injury among people who work with their hands a lot. Jobs and hobbies such as a heavy duty mechanic and sewing will often lead to this injury and have people asking why does this happen. This injury can prevent the play of many of our favourite sports and can cause pain up through the arm that it affects. Carpal Tunnel can affect a person’s feel which is extremely crucial in sports such as golf, tennis, billiards, and many more. However there are treatments that can be made to combat Carpal Tunnel. These treatments are not absolute guarantees as there have been complications following Carpal Tunnel treatment. Carpal Tunnel is a sport’s injury that can take effect in almost anyone and the signs symptoms and treatments should be known to each person. Carpal Tunnel is defined by the Electronic Text Book of Hand Surgeries (n.d.) as “the effect of pressure on the median nerve, one of the main nerves of the hand. It can result in a variety of problems, including pain, tingling, numbness, swelling, weakness or clumsiness of the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers.” Carpal Tunnel is contracted most commonly through typical daily activities that we do as hobbies, in our work, or just normal everyday life. Pub-Med Health describes these activities as all being possible contributors to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; driving, sewing, assembly work, painting, writing, use of tools, some sports such as racquetball and handball, and playing a musical instrument. Through these many ways we can contract Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. As well there are additional conditions that can lend it’s hand in developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as Dr. William Schiel states “Common conditions that can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome include obesity, pregnancy, hypothyroidism, arthritis, diabetes, and trauma.”. As one may guess by the name, Carpal Tunnel takes place in the wrist area where are carpal bones are located. As was started Carpal Tunnel is the effect of pressure on the median nerve. Pub-Med Health goes into deeper description as of what exactly this nerve does for our hand. “The median nerve provides feeling and movement to the "thumb side" of the hand (the palm, thumb, index finger, middle finger, and thumb side of the ring finger).” Pub-Med Health (n.d.) In Carpal Tunnel the median nerve can swell up and cause the Carpal Tunnel to close up it’s already narrow tunnel. Pub-Med Health further describes “The area in your wrist where the nerve enters the hand is called the carpal tunnel. This tunnel is normally narrow, so any swelling can pinch the nerve and cause pain, numbness, tingling or weakness. This is called carpal tunnel syndrome.” The symptoms of Carpal Tunnel are sometimes hard to spot because it is not immediately an excruciating pain but rather a numbness in the hand Pub-Med further describes the symptoms as “Numbness or tingling in the thumb and next two or three fingers of one or both hands, numbness or tingling of the palm of the hand, pain extending to the elbow, pain in wrist or hand in one or both hands, problems with fine finger movements (coordination) in one or both hands, wasting away of the muscle under the thumb (in advanced or long-term cases), weak grip or difficulty carrying bags (a common complaint), weakness in one or both hands.” Pub-Med (n.d.) As it can be seen it’s sometimes a harder problem to discover right away. The problems of Carpal Tunnel can cause a person to perform poorly at their sport. Pub-Med continues to state that physical examinations are often conducted by a doctor to see if a person does indeed have carpal tunnel. If a person has Carpal Tunnel the doctor may find “Numbness in the palm, thumb, index finger, middle finger, and thumb side of the ring finger, Weak hand grip, Tapping over the median nerve at the wrist may cause pain to shoot from the wrist to the hand (this is called Tinel's sign), and Bending the wrist forward all the way for 60 seconds will usually result in numbness, tingling, or weakness (this is called Phalen's test)” Pub-Med (n.d.) The article goes on to state that a wrist x-ray should also be performed to rule out other possible injuries such as wrist arthritis. Carpal Tunnel is not an overly serious injury but can cause discomfort and pain to the victim. If a person were to look for treatment they would have a few options to help. Some things that a person can do according to Pub-Med (n.d.) are “You may try wearing a splint at night for several weeks. If this does not help, you may need to try wearing the splint during the day. Avoid sleeping on your wrists. Hot and cold compresses may also be recommended. There are many changes you can make in the workplace to reduce the stress on your wrist: Special devices include keyboards, different types of mouses, cushioned mouse pads, and keyboard drawers. Someone should review the position you are in when performing your work activities. For example, make sure the keyboard is low enough so that your wrists aren't bent upward while typing. Your doctor may suggest an occupational therapist. You may also need to make changes in your work duties or recreational activities. Some of the jobs associated with carpal tunnel syndrome include those that involve typing and vibrating tools. Carpal tunnel syndrome has also been linked to professional musicians.”If none of these treatments are effective in helping to aid Carpal Tunnel; a person may need to seek higher amounts of treatment including medication and surgery. Typical medication is often pain killers and anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen and naproxen. In surgery the doctors will make a small incision in the wrist and the transverse carpal ligament is severed to relieve the pressure on the carpal tunnel. Mycarpaltunnel.com explains the process further “Through an incision on the wrist, the carpal ligament is severed to relieve the pressure on the median nerve - Hence, the phrase "Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery". The incision is sutured closed with the expectation that the ligament tissue will scar back together over several months leaving more space.” The rehabilitation process is important to note as it is not uncommon for a person to once again experience carpal tunnel like symptoms resurface after surgery. Mycarpaltunnel.com continues to explain, “It is not uncommon for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms to return within two years of surgery, even when surgery goes well, if repetitive stress activities continue through routine use of a person's hands at work or at home. When Symptoms return, hand surgeons will consider performing a second surgery, but will not perform a third surgery. Medical text books advise against more than two surgeries for CTS.” Pub-Med Health (n.d.) goes on to state that “Symptoms often improve with treatment, but more than 50% of cases eventually require surgery. Surgery is often successful, but full healing can take months.” The bottom line is that there is no guarantee for getting rid of carpal tunnel and that sometimes it can stay with a person for a lifetime depending on the activities that they partake in. Prevention of carpal tunnel is tricky as there may be no direct way to prevent it for some. Someone’s occupation may involve a lot of hand movement and may thusly be impossible to avoid. Pub-Med Health (n.d.) has this to say about prevention “Avoid or reduce the number of repetitive wrist movements whenever possible. Use tools and equipment that are properly designed to reduce the risk of wrist injury. Ergonomic aids, such as split keyboards, keyboard trays, typing pads, and wrist braces, may be used to improve wrist posture during typing. Take frequent breaks when typing and always stop if there is tingling or pain.” As can be seen there are a few methods to prevent this but overall the avoidance of these activities will be the most effective. Carpal Tunnel can have a lasting effect on a person’s fitness in particular in sport. There is not a sport in the world that does not involve using your hands in some way or form. So to have much of your hand in pain and weak will hinder on a person’s performance in the sport. Looking at the five components of fitness, there is very little, if any, change in a person’s cardiovascular performance and body composition. However muscular strength in the arm goes down a great deal. Flexibility in the wrist also goes down as there is more strain on the wrist and any type of bending may cause numbness, pain and discomfort. Carpal Tunnel can be a hindrance on an athlete both on and off the playing field. Proper care and prevention methods should be looked after especially when considering a person’s hobbies and their occupation. A person should talk to a professional if the problem becomes too much for them to take. If need be, surgery should be considered as it has been found to be the most successful way to cure the ailment. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be treated effectively and if care is taken by an individual they will have no need to experience the disease.