Definition
The carpal ligament – also called retinaculum flexorum in Latin – is a ligament in the area of the wrist and consists of taut connective tissue.
Anatomy
Anatomically, it runs across the tendons of the muscles responsible for wrist flexion. The word stem carpal – or carpi in Latin – refers to the location of the structures at the wrist. The carpal ligament forms the roof of the so-called carpal tunnel, which is located on the inside of the forearm at the transition between the forearm and the hand.
The lateral and rear boundaries of this tunnel represent different carpal bones. Strictly speaking, the carpal ligament is not an independent ligament, but rather a thickening of the fascia that surrounds the entire forearm. The function of the carpal ligament is, on the one hand, to fix the shortening tendons flat on the wrist during hand flexion. On the other hand, it forms six so-called tendon compartments by means of connective tissue rays that go out vertically into the depths, in which the individual tendons and nerves come to rest. And, of course, its tough consistency protects the underlying structures from external influences.
Pain in the carpal ligament
Pain in the area around the carpal ligament usually occurs as a result of inflammatory processes on the ligament itself or the underlying structures, such as tendosynovitis (see: Tendosynovitis of the wrist) or the narrowing of the nerves running there. The median nerve in particular is usually involved in such processes and is often the trigger for the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. The main causes of this type of inflammatory processes are usually overstrain in the course of heavy work with the hands, many activities with bent hands such as in the case of nursing mothers or domestic work.
However, the largest proportion of patients with this pain symptomatology are women in the menopause between the ages of 50 and 60. The pain becomes more severe, especially after extensive loading of the above-mentioned structures. Immobilization with forearm splints, on the other hand, can provide relief.
