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CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME HERE WE GO AGAIN: Your wrists in trouble. There's a small space in each of your wrist called the carpal tunnel. Like other tunnels, it serves as a thoroghfare - not for cars, but for nerves and tendons to pass through the wrist and into the hand. When vehicles back up inside a highway tunnel, it's call a traffic jam. When nerves and tendons swell inside the carpal tunnel, it's called carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) Your only option in most traffic jams is to wait and hope it gets better. But that's not true for CTS. Instead it's best to see your doctor when symptoms first arise and are usually easier to treat. WHAT IS CTS? The carpal tunnel is formed by eight tiny wrist bones and a band of tissue called the transverse carpal ligament. Through this narrow space must pass nine tendons and one large nerve - the median nerve. This nerve supplies sensation to four of the hand's five fingers. Without it and the tendons, your hands and fingers wouldn't function as they do. As you work with your hands-typing, pinching and grabbing-these tendons slide back and forth in the carpal tunnel, THE AMERICAN ASSOC. OF NEUROLOGICAL SURGEONS. But if the swelling exceeds the capacity of the tunnel- if the tunnel becomes jammed and the median nerve is squezed-you get the pain, tingling and other symptoms of CTS. The classic symptom of CTS is nighttime pain. "You typically awaken in the middle of the night with your hand feeling numb, tingling or painful, and you have to get up and shake it. You may have a burning or shocking sensation traveling through the wrist and hand. Your grip might feel weak. You might have difficulty combing your hair or buttoning clothes. Some people have pain holding a newspaper. What cuases it? The biggest risk factor appear to be anatomy. If you have a small carpal tunnel, there is less room for swelling. The median nerve becomes pinched more easily. Certain activities also are more likely to cause swelling. People who work on assembly lines or handle vibrating tools are especially vulnerable. If you have symptoms of CTS, it's important to see your doctor to rule out other possible causes for your pain. He or she will ask about your activities. Your doctor might order tests, such as x-rays and nerve studies. To take the pressure off your median nerve, your doctor might ask you to wear a wrist immobilizer for a period of time. Anti-imflammatory and pain medications can relieve symptoms too, as can wearing wrist splints at night. If these measures don't work, your doctor might suggest surgery. This usually means cutting the the transverse carpal ligament to open up the tunnel and relieve pressure. SURGERY usually resolves the problem. Aloha and God bless you all.  
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enlightening ~ Jolielaide 
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