Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - How To Tackle It?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a painful one that is born from a strain on the median nerve, which loops through the wrist bone to connect it with the rest of the hand and fingers so as to promote motion. This condition can be a painful and debilitating one that usually starts at night, and affects the various fingers, especially the thumb and index finger. The symptoms include numbness, a tingling sensation, a weak grip, and the inability to do many tasks that involve the thumb and index finger. There are many ways of treating this condition with the help of physiotherapy, steroids and corticosteroids.

The complications of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:

1. May manifest later with episodes of pain at night which wake the patient up.

2. As compression gets worse, people may find it difficult to hold on to things and occasionally drop objects held in hand due to poor grip power.

3. If weakness of muscles sets in, surgery is likely to be needed.

4. Surgery is a minor procedure done under local anesthesia to numb the area and just needs a few stitches. Its almost always done as a day-care procedure in the which the patient comes for surgery in the morning and goes home by afternoon. Usually, patients return to a food use of their affected hand by about two weeks.

There are easier ways of dealing with this issue on an everyday basis, as follows.

*  Wrist Splint: It is a good idea to wear a wrist splint at night which will keep the bones and muscles stationery as the pain in this condition usually starts at night. This will also prevent further damage to the median nerve. 

*  Activity: Keep your activity to a minimum to give your hand and rest, in particular, some much needed rest from the pain, numbness and tingling. Further, you need to avoid activities that cause too much pain and numbness. Also, take care to keep your thumb and wrist straight during other activities so that there is less strain on the median nerve.

*  Strength and Flexibility: Many times, the pain from the wrist and fingers can spread towards the arm as well. In order to prevent this and to treat the pain on a more long term basis, it is important to turn to some mild exercise which can make the area more flexible and strong. This can include wrist twists which can be done ten times for each hand. One can also try Yoga to strengthen the joints in the upper body.

*  Ice Pack: Use an ice pack or ice compress on your wrist for ten to fifteen minutes each every few hours to help in relieving unbearable pain.

*  Anti Inflammation Medication: Patients suffering from this condition can also turn to non-steroid medication that will help in bringing down the inflammation. This inflammation is usually responsible to a great extent for symptoms like numbness and pain which can halt various activities. These drugs may include aspirin, ibuprofen, and even naproxen sodium. 

*  Taking Breaks: One must take regular breaks at work and flex the fingers and the wrist so that the painful bending posture does not make matters worse.
 
Ensuring that you manage your everyday functioning despite Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a matter of balancing your activities with rest.