What is characteristic of carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome( ICD 10 - G56.0) is a common problem affecting the performance of the wrist and wrist.

Violation occurs when squeezes the nerve inside the wrist .

Any condition affecting the size of the canal or causing tissue growth inside it can trigger the manifestation of the syndrome.

What happens when a violation

The wrist is surrounded by bundles of fibrous tissue, performing a supporting function for the joint. The space between these fibrous strips of tissue and the bony parts of the wrist is the carpal tunnel.

The median nerve passing through the wrist provides sensitivity to the large, index and middle fingers of the hand.

Any condition that causes swelling or changes in the position of the tissues in the wrist can cause squeezing and irritation of the nerve.

Reasons and at-risk groups

Causes of carpal tunnel syndrome:

1. Edema due to damage to the forearm and hand.
2. Tumors of the tissues in pregnant women, especially in later periods, and in women using oral contraceptives.
3. Chronic inflammation and swelling of carpal tunnel structures with permanent occupational trauma.
4. Tissue swelling as a consequence of certain diseases of internal organs, endocrine disorders.
5. Narrowing of synovial tendon sheaths and thickening of their walls due to acute or chronic inflammation in systemic disorders of connective tissue, metabolic disorders, in tuberculosis.
6. The discrepancy between the size of the channel and the size of its contents due to genetically inherited indicators or abnormal growth of the bones of the hand and wrist.
7. Tumor of the median nerve.

The risks of occurrence include:

• use of force;
• posture;
• wrist arrangement;
• monotony of action;
• supercooling;
• vibration.

Risk groups:

• people with a genetic predisposition;
• people of low stature, overweight;
• people suffering from tuberculosis, kidney failure;
• people with rheumatoid arthritis, problems in the functioning of the thyroid gland;
• women in menopause and with the use of hormonal contraceptives.

Anatomy of the wrist

Symptoms and signs

The syndrome has such symptoms - staged numbness in parts whose sensitivity is controlled by the median nerve.

After this, pain appears in the innervation sites. Also among the symptoms of the carpal tunnel syndrome, it can be noted that numbness occurs in the hand, especially in the morning after a night's sleep. Patients all night shaking with brushes and rubbing them, which gives a slight improvement.

The pain can go up to the shoulder and even the neck. With the aggravation of this disease, the muscles of the thumb can stop working, causing awkwardness in actions, when it is necessary to take, for example, a cup.

It is difficult for a patient to touch the tips of his fingers with the tip of his thumb, to hold different objects.

Diagnostic techniques and tests

The doctor will ask about the signs and medical history, will perform an examination of the wrist and hands. Inspection will consist of checking for strength, sensitivity and signs of irritation or nerve damage.

Other tests:

• electrodiagnostic tests;
• MRI;
• X-ray;
• ultrasound.

The syndrome should be distinguished from the Arnold-Chiari anomaly and the hernia of the cervical region.

How to treat the pathology of

Treatment with can be conservative or surgical intervention.

Conservative treatment of

The activity that causes the appearance of symptoms should be discontinued.

Avoid repetitive movements of the brush, strong grasping movements, retention of vibrating objects, or performing work with the tilt or arching of the wrist.

Wrist bandage facilitates the manifestation in the early stages of the disorder. He keeps his wrist in peace. When the wrist is in the correct position, the canal has a normal volume, so there is enough space for the nerve.

The bandage helps to neutralize numbness and pain, it does not allow the wrist to flex in a dream. The bandage can also be worn in the daytime, in order to weaken the manifestations and provide peace to the tissues of the wrist.

In addition, the following exercises help:

1. Shake hands.
2. Squeeze your hands into a fist, hold for 3 seconds, then fully release for 6 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
3. Stretch your arms in front of you, raise and lower them 5 times.
4. Describe 10 circles with your fingertips.
5. 10 times in a row, press one hand on the fingers of the other hand.

Through these exercises, blood circulation in the muscles improves.

It is important that the movements are different.

It should be taken into account that CCC - SZK appears in people not only because they carry out monotonous movements, but also because they do it for a long time.

Medical treatment

Anti-inflammatory drugs can also help to eliminate edema and symptoms of damage( ibuprofen, aspirin).Large doses of vitamin B-6 help to neutralize manifestations.

If simple measures do not help curb symptoms, you should consider the possibility of injections of cortisone into the carpal tunnel. This remedy is used to remove the swelling in the canal, it can temporarily eliminate the symptoms.

Cortisone can help the doctor with the diagnosis. If the patient is not lighter after the injection, this may indicate a different disorder that causes these manifestations.

If the symptoms disappear after the injection, it means they appeared in the wrist.

Physiotherapy

The doctor can refer to a physiotherapist or a specialist in occupational health. The main goal of the treatment is to reduce the effect or eliminate the cause of pressure in the wrist.

The physiotherapist can check the workplace and the way the work tasks are performed. He can suggest how to best position the body, and in what position to hold the wrist, assign exercises and tell how to prevent problems in the future.

Surgical treatment of

If the samples can not be controlled, the patient may be offered an operation to reduce the compression of the median nerve.

There are several different operations to neutralize pressure on the nerve.

After elimination of pressure on the nerve, blood supply to the nerve is restored, most patients feel relief. But if the nerve is squeezed for a long time, it can become compacted, and a scar can form on it, which will prolong recovery after the procedure.

The most common operation is an open intervention using a local anesthetic that blocks the nerves located only in a specific part of the body.

This operation is performed on an outpatient basis, that is, you can leave the hospital immediately.

Complications of

The carpal tunnel syndrome does not apply to disorders that are life-threatening.

For a long time, a person with pain can lose the ability to perform normal movements with his hand or fingers with time.

And only just started competent treatment can prevent such complication and help to restore the work of the hand.

Preventative measures

Warning:

1. Adjust the height of the desktop. The height of the table should be such that its surface is at the level with the armrests of the chair.
2. Adjust the height of the monitor so that the text is at eye level.
3. During work it is necessary to sit, leaning back on an armchair, with the relaxed shoulders.
4. Find a convenient mouse and keyboard.
5. There are fewer salted - salty foods provoke an increase in edema.

Conclusions

Complications of the syndrome are a rarity and include atrophy and muscle weakness at the base of the thumb of the hand.

This can become a persistent violation, if not done on time treatment. Such a violation affects the brush motility and the performance of certain movements.

As a rule, the prognosis for the disorder is positive, and it turns out to be cured conservatively or operatively.