Carpal tunnel syndrome

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Surface anatomy - normal wrist

Compression of the median nerve

Carpal tunnel surgical procedure

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Alternative Names:

Median nerve dysfunction

Symptoms:

weakness in one or both hands
numbness or tingling in the thumb and next two or three fingers of one or both hands
numbness or tingling of the palm of the hand
wrist or hand pain in one or both hands
pain extending to the elbow
impaired fine finger movements (coordination) in one or both hands
weak grip or difficulty carrying bags (a common complaint)
atrophy of the muscular bulge under the thumb (in advanced or chronic cases)

Signs and tests:

During a physical examination, the doctor may identify numbness in the palm, thumb, index finger, middle finger, and thumb-side of the ring finger. Hand grip may be weak.

Tapping over the median nerve at the wrist may cause pain to shoot from the wrist to the hand (Tinel's sign). Bending the wrist forward all the way (Phalen's test) for 60 seconds will usually result in numbness, tingling, or weakness.

Electromyography and nerve conduction velocity may be performed, showing decreased conduction across the wrist. Wrist X-rays should be obtained to ensure that other problems (such as wrist arthritis) are not the cause of the patient's pain.

Review Date: 8/3/2004
Reviewed By: Kevin B. Freedman, M.D., Section of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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