The nerve that supplies sensation to most of the hand, the median nerve, runs in the middle of a cluster of tendons that supply the finger muscles. Because the tendons and nerves are packed so closely together, inflammation of the tendons leads to them swelling, which can result in the median nerve getting pinched or compressed. When this occurs, carpal tunnel syndrome is the result.
Misconceptions
An article on the ScienceDaily website reports that carpal tunnel syndrome is not caused by computer use. Harvard Medical School experts examined patients who typed on computers for up to seven hours per day and found no relationship between computer use and the development of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Causes
The same article on ScienceDaily notes that researchers found that people who did assembly-line work in such areas as sewing, manufacturing or meat-packing were more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. Women are also more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome than men.
Symptoms
According to MayoClinic.com, patients with carpal tunnel syndrome often experience pain and tingling in the hands and wrist. The pain typically is worse in the thumb and index and middle fingers. As the disease progresses, patients may develop weakness in the affected hand(s) and have a tendency to drop things as a result of decreased hand and finger strength.
Nonsurgical Treatment
Although carpal tunnel syndrome is not caused by excessive computer use, activities such as typing, which places strain on the wrist joint, can make the pain more noticeable. Patients are encouraged to wear special splints or braces to help support their wrists as the inflammation goes away and to avoid activities (such as typing) that cause the pain. Some patients also benefit from injections of cortisone into the affected joint.
Surgical Treatment
If carpal tunnel syndrome does not get better over time, surgery is an effective treatment option. The goal behind surgery is to cut the connective tissue that holds the wrist tendons and the median nerve in such close proximity, which can relieve pressure on the median nerve and result in diminished pain and tingling as well as a return of hand strength.
