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Carpal tunnel syndrome

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Alternative Names

Repetitive stress injuries

Symptoms

Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome usually progress gradually over weeks and months and sometimes years. Anyone with recurrent or persistent pain, numbness and tingling, or weakness of the hand should consult a doctor for a diagnosis. Symptoms often develop as follows:

• Initial symptoms include pain in the wrist and hand. Symptoms commonly occur in both hands. (Even when only one hand is painful, the other hand often shows signs of nerve conduction abnormalities on testing.)
• Early on, the patient also usually reports numbness, tingling, burning, or some combination on the palm side of the index, middle, and ring fingers. (Typically the fifth finger has no symptoms.) Such sensations may radiate to the forearm or shoulder.
• Over time, the hand may become numb, and patients may lose the ability to feel heat and cold. Patients may experience a sense of weakness and a tendency to drop things.
• Patients may feel that their hands are swollen even though there is no visible swelling. This symptom may actually prove to be an important indicator of greater severity.

Symptoms may occur not only when the hand is being used but also at night when the patient is at rest. Even in cases where work is suspected as the cause, symptoms typically first occur outside of work. In fact, the disorder may be distinguished from similar conditions by pain occurring at night after going to bed.

• Review Date: 3/14/2007
• Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

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