Description

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the entrapment of the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel, resulting in paresthesia, numbness and tingling of the hand.

Causes

Risk factors associated with CTS include congenital predisposition, disease, female gender, occupational hazard, pregnancy, smoking, gout, and metabolic causes. Most commonly due to repetitive motion activity.

Symptoms

Symptoms include paresthesias, numbness and tingling of the affected hand. Some patients may present with weakness of the affected hand.

Treatment

Non-surgical Treatment
Conservative management of CTS includes:

• Rest from repetitive motion activity
• Wrist splint in neutral position
• Oral nonsteroidal antiinflammatories to decrease swelling
• Physiotherapy
• Injection therapy – corticosteroids, PRP

Surgical Treatment
If conservative management fails, surgical management could be an option. Surgical management includes an open carpal tunnel release surgery where the transverse carpal ligament is cut, relieving the pressure on the median nerve.