Carpal tunnel syndrome is a disease of the wrist. It occurs as a result of compression of the median nerve passing through the carpal tunnel in the wrist. It usually manifests itself with pain, numbness and weakness as a result of the pressure of the median nerve in the middle of the hand.
What are the symptoms of Hand-Wrist Canal Disease?
• Numbness and pain in the hands that occur at night and get worse over time. It can be bad enough to wake you from sleep. Coke can spread over the shoulder.
• Loss of sensation or electric shock sensation in palm and fingers. It is especially seen in the thumb, index and middle fingers.
• Loss of strength in the hand, inability to hold, dropping things.
• Relief of these pains by shaking the hand.
Why would it happen?
Although the hand-wrist canal disease has been known by physicians for a long time, it can be confused with other diseases, and most of the time, patients go around doctor-physician because they cannot get a correct diagnosis. Patients who have undergone surgery with the diagnosis of neck hernia instead of hand-wrist canal disease, but who have not been able to get rid of their complaints, are frequently encountered. .
A nerve that we call the median nerve, which provides the movement and sensation of the thumb and index finger, passes through the middle of the inner surface of the wrist and divides into branches in the hand. The upper part of this nerve is covered with a thick protective band at wrist level and partially in the palm. This protective band thickens for various reasons towards middle age and compresses the nerve that is under it and protects it.
The most common cause is band thickening due to excessive use. It occurs frequently especially in people who work for years by putting a load on their wrist, those who use typewriters and computers, housewives who knit and do intense housework, and people who use their wrists a lot, such as auto mechanics. Sometimes this disease may appear as a part of another disease.
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Hypothyroidism
• Acromegaly
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Like gout..
How is it diagnosed?
Diagnosis is made by detailed history of complaints and investigating other causes that may lead to this condition. Some of the patients diagnosed with neck hernia and calcification also have wrist canal disease and this is called double stenosis. Both the spinal cord and nerve root in the neck are compressed, and there is wrist canal stenosis. The diagnosis is finalized by performing neck MRI and EMG (nerve electrode) examinations.
How Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treated?
The mainstay of treatment is the release of the carpal tunnel. In this case, the pressure on the median nerve is removed by surgically cutting the ligament.
Initially,
• Preventing excessive use, avoiding work that will cause excessive strain on the wrist
• Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs
• Wrist exercises
• Wrist splints, night splints
• Local or systemic cortisone injections are sufficient for most people.
Surgical Treatment: Patients whose complaints do not improve with drug therapy should be treated surgically before nerve damage increases. When the pressure on the nerve is removed surgically, the nerve damage will stop before it progresses further and a significant improvement in neural function will be seen quickly. With a 1-2 cm incision made from the wrist to the palm using a microscope, the band on the nerve is cut and the nerve is compressed. The patient does not need to be hospitalized for this surgical intervention. In a standing patient, that area is anesthetized with local anesthesia. In a short time, the carpal ligament on the median nerve is cut, the nerve is freed and the patient is discharged two hours later.
Treatment of Hand-Wrist Canal Disease
Our recommendations:
• When using a typewriter and computer, rest your hands from time to time.
• Be careful when doing housework is very difficult on the wrist.
• Do not sleep on your wrist at night.
• If you wake up with numbness in your hands, especially at night, if your sleep is interrupted, it means that wrist canal disease is starting.
• A simple surgical intervention provides a permanent solution in this curable disease.
