The carpal tunnel is the area on the inside of the wrist where the median nerve enters the hand. Damage to this area may affect the entire hand and hamper daily activities. It is a condition called carpal tunnel syndrome, which can cause severe pain and leave people afflicted with the condition searching for relief.
Importance
According to Medline Plus, the median nerve supplies both sensation and motor activity to the entire inner side of the hand, including the thumb, first and middle fingers, palm and inner side of the ring finger. Pain affecting this nerve may prevent you from using your hand or hands, which often interferes with work, leisure activities such as playing a sport or musical instrument, and even simple daily hand motions such as handling a fork or toothbrush.
Causes
The main cause of carpal tunnel pain is a swelling of the area surrounding the median nerve. Swelling occurs from repetitive action of the wrist, such as that experienced when someone works on a computer, paints, uses hand tools, sews, drives, plays some sports or practices certain musical instruments.
Temporary Relief
The Mayo Clinic explains that carpal tunnel pain may ease on its own, but some simple remedies can offer relief in the meantime. Applying ice to the area may be effective in reducing the swelling that causes the pain. Medications known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, can also help. These include naproxen, ibuprofen and aspirin.
Some people receive corticosteroid injections or oral corticosteroids to treat the inflammation causing the pain. For those who cannot or don't want to treat carpal tunnel pain using drugs, a wrist splint that immobilizes the wrist may help heal the area and reduce pain.
Alternative treatments include acupuncture, vitamin supplements, ultrasound therapy, chiropractic adjustment and electrical stimulation. These methods have not undergone significant study in clinical trials, so their effectiveness remains unknown.
Prevention
The best solution for carpal tunnel pain is to avoid it in the first place. Tips suggested by the American Academy of Family Physicians to prevent the development of carpal tunnel syndrome include switching hands while doing repetitive work, using tools that are the appropriate size, changing the position of the wrist during work, taking breaks frequently and adjusting the workspace to keep the wrists from being flexed too much.
Long-Term Solution
If carpal tunnel pain does not go away on its own and methods of prevention don't work, surgery to cut the ligament in the carpal tunnel is used. This method works because it relieves pressure on the median nerve. According to the Mayo Clinic, about 70 percent of those who have this surgery are pleased with the results.
