Wrist pain. Hand pain. Maybe you’ve felt this condition while sitting at the computer typing out work assessments, during a long session of playing video games, or swiping left or right on a phone or tablet screen repeatedly. Perhaps you lift weights and experience it in the middle of an intense workout, or while holding heavy construction tools. Whatever the cause may be, whether it’s from typing for long periods of time, holding a phone for a long time, or holding a jackhammer, the immediate conclusion people think of is a condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome.
But what is this syndrome? Is all wrist pain automatically carpal tunnel syndrome, or is it possibly something else?
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is an entrapment neuropathy.(1) Think of a pinch in a hose line caused by stepping on it, and you can visualize a similar compression of the nerve as it travels down through the wrist and into the hand. The nerve, in particular, known as the median nerve, travels through a bony area in the wrist called – you guessed it – the carpal tunnel.
The carpal tunnel itself is a narrow passageway inside your wrist surrounded by bones and ligaments. Compression, or pinching, of the median nerve, can create symptoms including numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hand, wrist, and arm.(2)
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common of neuropathies, or nerve conditions, with over 90% of neuropathic cases being from carpal tunnel compression.(1)
Symptoms usually start gradually, in one or both hands during the night, with frequent numbness or tingling in the fingers.3 Some people report their hands and fingers even feel useless, clumsy, and unresponsive or even feel swollen, although little or no swelling is apparent!
Unfortunately, many cases of the wrist and forearm pain are automatically diagnosed as CTS without truly examining all possible causes of the pain, or even confirming if the painful condition is truly CTS.
The million-dollar question: Is every hand and wrist issue created by an issue with the nerve inside the carpal tunnel? The short answer: no!
What can you do if you have wrist and hand pain? Your first line of defense is a physical examination of the hands, arms, shoulders, and neck by your trained chiropractic physician. They can help determine if the person’s complaints are related to daily activities, such as overuse or poor ergonomics, or due to an underlying disorder such as carpal tunnel syndrome or pronator teres syndrome.
Many cases of carpal tunnel can be treated conservatively or without surgical intervention. Splinting, changing your daily routine, chiropractic care, soft tissue work, and other forms of treatment exist that safely improve and resolve a painful wrist condition.(3)
1. Sevy, J.O., and Varacallo, M. (2020). Carpal tunnel syndrome. StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing; Treasure Island (FL): Mar.
2.“Carpal tunnel syndrome.” MayoClinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/carpal-tunnel-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20355603.
3.“Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Fact Sheet.” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Updated April 2020. Retrieved from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome-Fact-sheet
