Introduction
Carpal tunnel syndrome causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people, which are not permanent but come and go. In such cases it may be useful to wear a wrist splint and avoid certain strains. If the complaints are only mild, a splint can be worn for a few weeks, which keeps the wrist still and protects it.
The splint keeps the wrist in a middle position so that the wrist cannot bend. Instead of a wrist splint, a support bandage can also be worn. Within a few weeks, wearing a splint can provide relief in carpal tunnel syndrome.
However, the splints often only help temporarily, as they do not eliminate the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome and the symptoms return after some time. Carpal tunnel syndrome usually manifests itself as tingling, pain or numbness in the hand. The symptoms can occur on the wrist, can be felt in individual fingers, but also the whole hand can be affected by the symptoms. Characteristically, pain can be triggered by tapping the area above the carpal tunnel.
Causes of carpal tunnel syndrome
The cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is a narrowing of the so-called median nerve (nervus medianus), which runs through the carpal tunnel in the wrist. The “carpal tunnel” is a tube enclosed by connective tissue at the wrist on the forearm side towards the palm side. Various triggers, such as pregnancy, certain manual work, bone fractures or other diseases such as diabetes mellitus or hypothyroidism, can trigger pressure on the carpal tunnel, exerting pressure on the median nerves and thus triggering the typical symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Therapy of carpal tunnel syndrome
Especially in the early stages and in cases of mild symptoms, conservative treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome is usually chosen. This includes wearing a wrist splint or support bandages, painkilling and anti-inflammatory medication or cold or heat therapy. In some cases, the injection of corticoids into the carpal tunnel may be useful.
If symptoms persist, surgery should be considered. This involves cutting the ligament that delimits the carpal tunnel towards the palm, which relieves pressure on the median nerve. If the carpal tunnel syndrome has not existed for too long, the nerve recovers as a result, but only rarely do complaints remain or a new surgical procedure is necessary.
