I see alot of patients referred to my practice for 'Carpal Tunnel Syndrome' because they are complaining of hand pain. 9 out of 10 times they do not have carpal tunnel syndrome but tendonitis or arthritis of the hand. 

So what is carpal tunnel syndrome and how is it different than other type of pain and disorder in the hand? Well, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is by definition a compression of a nerve in the wrist, specifically the Median Nerve. Most people will experience numbness, tingling, weakness and not frank pain. It is usually worse during gripping such as driving and also at night when sleeping. The discomfort is usually in the thumb, index, middle and half of ring finger.

Initial treatment include wearing a wrist brace at night or getting a steroid injection, however, if the symptoms are not controlled it will progress to atrophy of the key muscles in the hand and eventually total loss of hand function and protective sensation. The definitive treatment is Carpal Tunnel Release surgery.

So it is crucial to have an accurate diagnosis by means of nerve study and address the problem promptly, because muscle atrophy are generally irreversible even with surgery.

Other common hand pains which are mre common than carpal tunnel syndrome are due to arthritis and tendonitis, I will address them in later news releases.

So take care of your hands, and they will take care of you.