Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
When the carpal tunnel becomes narrowed, it squeezes the median nerve against the bones and ligaments, causing numbness and tingling in the shaded areas.
The carpal tunnel is a narrow tunnel that contains tendons and protects your median nerve, which controls feeling in your thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. The carpal tunnel runs under the ligament connecting the bones on either side of your wrist.
Carpal tunnel syndrome results when the tunnel becomes narrow due to swelling or inflammation of other ligaments and tendons in the wrist and the median nerve is squeezed against bone and ligament. The resulting pressure causes pain and numbness in the hand.
Symptoms
Usually start gradually; first appear during the night
Frequent burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers
Fingers feel useless and swollen, but with little or no apparent swelling
Wake up feeling the need to "shake out" the hand or wrist
Decreased grip strength
Muscles at the base of the thumb may waste away
Inability to differentiate between hot and cold by touch
Normal wrist
Median Nerve
Right Hand: Palmar Nerves
Palmar branch and
palmar digital branches
of the median nerve
Palmar branch and
palmar digital branches
of the ulnar nerve
Palmar Side
Transverse
Carpal Ligament
Carpal Bones
Palm
Carpal Tunnel
Tendons
Carpal
Ligament
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