Carpal tunnel syndrome

Whether for touching, gripping or holding – hands fulfil numerous tasks and are considered the most important sensory organ. As such, when things go wrong with our hands or they sustain injuries we immediately notice limitations in our daily lives. Sensory disturbances in the fingers are often based around chronic pressure on the nerves. At various places, the nerves pass through narrow points, e.g. at the elbow and wrist.  When a ligament thickens or even after wrist fractures, the median nerve can be constricted in the so-called carpal tunnel. This is formed out of the carpus and a wide ligament. As a result, the transmission of signals via the nerve is slowed down.

Symptoms: The so-called carpal tunnel syndrome initially leads to sensory disturbances such as tingling or the fingers ‘falling asleep’, and later, to nocturnal pains in the hand. The more advanced the disease progresses, the more spread out the symptoms are. In the later stages, as the median nerve partially supplies the hand muscles, power is often lost in the hand.

Therapies: In the early stages of carpal tunnel syndrome, we try to achieve relief with the aid of conservative therapies , e.g. injections and/or nocturnal support rails. If, in the nerve pulses which can be measured by the neurologist, changes show up in the nerve structure, the constriction has to be rectified by a small operation.

Details of therapies can be found under hand surgery.