If you are a woman between 40 and 60 years old and often experience tingling in one or both hands, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome – a common condition of the wrist. However, carpal tunnel syndrome also occurs in women of other ages and in men.
What is carpal tunnel?
The carpal tunnel is a bony groove and is formed by the carpal bones (carpus, Latin for “root of the hand”). It is located on the inside of the forearm – from the outside, the area in question can be seen through many small folds just below the hand. Many tendons run through the carpal tunnel, which are extensions of the forearm muscles that lead to the individual fingers and are responsible for flexion.
In addition to the tendons of the finger flexors, a nerve, the median nerve, also runs through the carpal tunnel. Its nerve fibers are responsible for the short finger flexors, strong fist closure, and sensation in the palm of the hand down to the little finger area. So when its fibers are injured, the powerful flexion of the thumb, index and middle fingers is limited, as is the ability to make a fist. The carpal tunnel has a roof of tight connective tissue – this ligament (retinaculum flexorum) serves as leverage and support for the tendons, so they cannot escape the groove.
How does carpal tunnel syndrome develop?
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the space available to the tendons and nerve becomes constricted. Possible causes include:
- Bone fractures
- Rheumatism
- Tendonitis
As a result of these causes, carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the tendons in the respective area thicken.
Increased manual labor can also lead to carpal tunnel syndrome as well as prolonged walking on forearm crutches, for example, after meniscus surgery. Interestingly, it often occurs with diabetes mellitus, after pregnancy, during menopause, or with hypothyroidism – that is, with a hormonal change or imbalance.
What are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?
Typically, one often notices tingling of the thumb, index and/or middle finger on the affected hand after sleeping; one often wakes up with a hand that has fallen asleep. There is pain, especially in the thumb, depending on movement, which can feel like small electric shocks. The pain can also extend to the forearm.
If nothing is done about carpal tunnel syndrome, after some time there is visible atrophy (decrease in size) of the ball of the thumb. A strong fist closure is no longer possible, a bottle can no longer be enclosed, even cutting bread becomes difficult.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is twice as common in women as in men and usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 60. Often, one hand is affected first, followed shortly thereafter usually by the other.
