4 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms Experts Say You Shouldn’t Ignore
Early detection is key to speeding recovery
When your hands and wrists feel sore, it can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint the cause. Is it the early signs of rheumatoid arthritis, or perhaps strain from knitting that sweater in record speed? It turns out certain hand and wrist symptoms can be a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome, which is the compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel, a passageway in your wrist.
“The compression of this nerve is what leads to the pain, other abnormal sensations and weakness,” says Bill McGehee, PT, PhD, a visiting clinical professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Tufts University School of Medicine.
If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you may find yourself waking up frequently at night or dropping items frequently, underscoring the stark impact this condition can have on your everyday life.
Woman's World Answers
Carpal tunnel syndrome vs. arthritis
With carpal tunnel syndrome, you might experience nerve symptoms like tingling, numbness and weakness. Although arthritis may be the first thing that comes to mind when you notice pain in your wrist, that’s actually more likely to cause pain and swelling in specific joints.
“With arthritis, you can recreate those symptoms by moving that joint or pressing down on it,” explains Pamela Mehta, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and founder of Resilience Orthopedics. “You might also experience tingling, but the pain will be more pronounced than any numbness—and you may also be able to see the swelling when compared to your other wrist or hand.”
4 carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms to watch for
Early detection and treatment are key with carpal tunnel syndrome. Here are the symptoms to watch out for.
1. ‘Pins and needles’ feeling
Since carpal tunnel involves your nerve, you may feel sensations like pins and needles, numbness, tingling pain and burning.
“The first sign you’ll feel is a slight tingling sensation,” says Dr. Mehta. “This might only come on at night or when doing repetitive movements, and will likely improve if you shake your hands. This should be the first warning sign to get in touch with your doctor.”
However, keep in mind that carpal tunnel syndrome only involves the thumb, index finger, middle finger and half of the ring finger. “If you have symptoms in your small finger, a different nerve—the ulnar nerve—is causing that pain,” says Kristen Baxter, PT, CHT, clinical director at Pappas OPT Physical Hand and Sports Therapy.
2. Loss of sensation in your fingers
As carpal tunnel becomes more advanced, you’re likely to lose sensation in your fingertips, especially the thumb, index and middle finger, says McGehee. You may even start to notice this affects your everyday activities, posing its own safety risks.
“Complications from numbness might include difficulty telling the correct temperature of water or knowing how hot a pan is, which leads to an increased risk of burns,” says Baxter. “It also makes it hard to tell how sharp things are, making you more likely to cut yourself.”
3. Waking up at night
Nighttime wake ups are a hallmark symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome. You may jolt awake with numbness and tingling on the thumb side of your hand or other symptoms.
“Pain at night is a symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome, especially if it is accompanied by numbness and tingling,” says McGehee. “This would be different from sleeping on your hand wrong.”
Worth noting: Although carpal tunnel symptoms can be disruptive to sleep, patients who underwent carpal tunnel release surgery to relieve pressure on the median nerve saw significant improvements in sleep quality within two weeks of surgery, per a 2017 study in The Journal of Hand Surgery.
4. Weakness in your hand
If your nerve becomes severely compressed, the muscles in your palm may start to shrink due to lack of nerve stimulation.
“This could lead to long-term weakness that will require a lot of physical therapy to recover from, even after the pressure in your wrist is released, making simple tasks like buttoning your blouse very difficult,” says Dr. Mehta.
Those with carpal tunnel syndrome often notice that they begin to lose their grip strength in one hand, especially when compared to the other.
“Frequently, people complain of difficulty with fine motor tasks and state that they are dropping things,” says Baxter. “The longer a nerve is compressed, the weaker a person will become. Gripping becomes difficult and people often drop things or have a hard time manipulating small objects.”
Decreased grip strength in carpal tunnel syndrome is often accompanied by hand weakness and restricted movement, according to a 2022 review in Cureus.
Who’s most at risk for carpal tunnel syndrome?
“Women are three times more likely to get carpal tunnel than men, partially due to hormonal changes, but also because their wrists are smaller than men’s,” says Baxter. “A smaller wrist means a smaller tunnel, making it easier to have increased pressure in the tunnel.”
Not only can hormonal changes put women at greater risk of carpal tunnel syndrome during menopause, but the wrist structures may become enlarged in some postmenopausal women and put pressure on the nerve in the wrist.
“People with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, gout or thyroid disorders are also at higher risk, as are those with jobs or hobbies that involve repetitive wrist movements or vibration,” says Dr. Mehta.
What to do if you have carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms
If you have the above symptoms, see your doctor to determine if it’s carpal tunnel syndrome or if there are other medical conditions playing a role. “Orthopedists, hand surgeons and plastic surgeons are the most specialized in this area, but your family doctor can help with the process if this is a more convenient first step,” says Dr. Mehta.
Your doctor may conduct tests like hand or wrist x-rays, which can help determine if there’s an underlying issue like arthritis causing the symptoms, and electromyography (EMG), a test that measures nerve function.
How carpal tunnel syndrome is treated
If you receive a diagnosis, your doctor may treat carpal tunnel syndrome with exercises and splints, while addressing any underlying conditions and risk factors.
Your doctor may also recommend wearing a splint at night to keep your wrist in a neutral position and prevent carpal tunnel syndrome flare-ups. “This places less pressure on the median nerve in the carpal tunnel,” says Baxter. “Physical or occupational hand therapists can also help to treat your symptoms with nerve gliding exercises and stretches.”
Physicians often prescribe anti-inflammatory medications as part of treatment. If symptoms progress or are serious, your doctor may recommend a procedure to treat your carpal tunnel syndrome.
“The next step is generally to assess whether injections such as cortisone shots or carpal tunnel release surgery will be the most beneficial,” adds Dr. Mehta.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
