Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is described as a condition wherein the median nerve impinges where it passes through the wrist joint mainly because the tendons in the wrist have swollen up. The median nerve controls a number of muscles that help move the thumb and it carries information back to the brain. When the nerve is squeezed it can cause pain, aching, tingling or numbness in the affected hand. The symptoms increase during the night and can disrupt your sleep. Hanging your hand out of bed or shaking it around will often relieve the pain and tingling. A nerve conduction test may help if there’s any doubt about the diagnosis.

It is often caused by work-related activities, such as typing, and repetitive movements, although some cases may be related to arthritis of the wrist, thyroid disease, and pregnancy. The risk of developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome may be higher where the job activities include using vibrating tools and high demands on your wrist.

How can physiotherapy help manage Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Physiotherapy is advantageous for most carpal tunnel patients particularly in mild to moderate scenarios. Your physiotherapist will address:

• Manually mobilizing the carpal bone and stretching flexor retinaculum in order to make more space for the median nerve inside the carpal tunnel
• Active wrist and hand exercises to ensure full and unrestricted nerve motion is present
• Muscle and soft tissue extensibility
• Forearm and thumb strengthening, grip and pinch exercises
• Educating about hand dexterity, posture, and fine motor exercises to help obtain pain-free results