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Know The Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
It’ll
probably creep up on you slowly. There’ll
be a vague aching feeling in your wrist that eventually affects your hand or
even your forearm. As the
disorder progresses, you may notice other symptoms as well.
Your fingers may tingle or you may experience numbness in your fingers or your hand. Those digits most affected are the thumb, the index and the middle or ring fingers. You “pinky” finger is seldom affected by carpal tunnel syndrome. These symptoms are most noticeable when you first
awake in the
morning. Some people need to
“shake out” their hands to relieve the symptoms. Others notice these
symptoms while they are holding a phone, a newspaper or even while driving a
car.
Another
indication of carpal tunnel syndrome is pain that radiates or extends from
your wrist up your arm to your shoulder or from your wrist into your palm
and your fingers. You’ll
notice these symptoms shortly after – or even during – forceful or
repetitive use. This pain
usually occurs on the palm side of your forearm.
If you notice
a weakness in your hands as well as a tendency to drop objects, then this is
an indication that you may have carpal tunnel syndrome. If you feel a
persistent loss of feeling in some of your fingers, you may have an advanced
case of this disorder.
Are at risk?
You very well
could be if you perform a job that requires repetition or if your occupation
requires the use of awkward or stressed hand motions.
Those individuals who use power tools, therefore, may find that they
are at a greater risk than the average person.
So are individuals who do assembly line work. But even repetitive
computer use can trigger a painful case of carpal tunnel syndrome for some
people.
Beyond this,
there are several other risk factors that may raise your chances of
developing this syndrome. If
you’re female, for example, you’re three times as likely to develop
problems with your carpal tunnel. Interestingly, this risk peaks until a
woman reaches menopause. Then the roles seem to be reversed.
When a man reaches middle age, he seems to be more vulnerable to the
problem.
Do you have
any close relatives who have experienced this problem?
If you do, consider yourself at risk.
Inherited physical characteristics may be at the cause of this, like
the shape of your wrist.
If you’re
already affected with diabetes, obesity, or some thyroid problems, then you
may find that your chances are greater than average for developing this
problem. Even if you have
rheumatoid arthritis, you may find yourself more susceptible to carpal
tunnel problems.
The common
thread for all of these lies in hormonal changes.
So it’s natural to note that pregnant women, those taking oral
contraceptives or those women experiencing menopause may also face a greater
risk of developing this painful disease.
Interestingly,
individuals who smoke and develop carpal tunnel not only experience symptoms
that are more severe than the average person, but recovery more slowly than
the nonsmoker.
Note: Some statements in this article may not be
approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and
should not be taken as professional medical advice.
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