What is Carpal Tunnel and who gets it? 

- One of the most common hand conditions. 

- Pressure on something called ‘median nerve’ that goes through the wrist. 

- The nerve goes through a narrow ‘tunnel’ (carpal tunnel) in the wrist, and when it gets compressed, you can develop symptoms. 

- 1-5% of the population get it at some point. Twice as common in women as men. 

- Most often seen in those between 30 and 60 years of age. 

- Increased risk with pregnancy, diabetes, wrist injury, obesity, and repetitive wrist activities such as manual labour and sport. 

How do you recognise it? 

- People often start to notice it at night: wake up with a tingly or numb hand and have to shake the hand out. Especially prominent in the thumb, and index, and middle fingers. 

- Sometimes described as electric shock, sometimes holding the steering wheel of car, holding a newspaper. 

- May be described as pain, and people often get discomfort up the forearm. 

- Can cause hand weakness and cause people to drop things. 

How do you diagnose it? 

- Your doctor will take careful history. 

- Examine the wrist 

- Order a nerve conduction study which shows if the nerve is being compressed. 

- Sometimes an Xray or blood tests are ordered to check for any underlying condition like diabetes.   

What do you do about? 

- It depends on the severity. 

- Often it involves avoiding activities that make it worse, resting the hand if repetitive movements make it worse. 

- Using a wrist splint to keep wrist straight – especially at night to alleviate symptoms. 

- If it’s severe and ongoing, then refer to the orthopaedic surgeon, who do a simple operation to relieve the pressure on the nerve. 

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