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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Symptoms


Top Symptoms

1. Burning sensation

CTS may also be identified with a burning sensation on the wrist of the patient. Generally it accompanies pain and tingling sensation of the forearm and is not very extreme. The burning sensation is not very common yet often accompanies patients with a prolonged CTS.

2. Loss of sleep

The pain suffered by the patients during CTS can sometimes be so acute that they may even be awakened from their sleep and not be able to sleep again. The pain is generally localized in the area of the forearm between the wrist and the elbow region but can also extend up to the shoulders in certain cases.

3. No affect on index finger

One of the most helpful means of detecting CTS is the movement and checkup of the index finger. Since the index finger is controlled by an entirely different nerve, it remains unaffected by CTS and thus it can be used to detect CTS. When the entire forearm has lost its power and may be suffering from tingling, if the index finger remains unaffected, then it is an almost sure indication of CTS.

4. Numbness of thumb

The thumb becomes more and more numb with the progress of the carpal tunnel syndrome. If the patient was earlier able to open a jar with his or her thumb, he or she would face difficulty in accomplishing the task after being affected by CTS. When CTS becomes prolonged, the thumb muscles contract and becomes weaker.

5. Power loss

The loss of strength of the fingers is also a very important symptom in detecting Carpal tunnel syndrome. Generally it is observed that during the advanced stages of CTS there is a remarkable loss of strength of the fingers and even the pinching power of the patient is greatly reduced.

6. Accidents

The worsening of the carpal tunnel syndrome is generally characterized by small accidents during daily activities. These may occur in seemingly harmless forms like the accidental dropping of a spoon or a hair brush. This signifies that CTS has taken its hold on the patient and the median nerve has suffered a moderate or lot of damage.

7. Stiffness

Carpal tunnel syndrome can sometimes also be characterized by early morning stiffness in the patientโ€™s fingers. Generally this occurs at the time when the patient wakes from his or her sleep. The stiffness may subside in some time or it may also take a long while to go away. The only way to reduce the stiffness is to try and move the fingers slowly and gradually.

8. Pain in the forearm

Carpal tunnel syndrome can also be characterized by the onset of occasional pain and aching sensation in the forearm of the concerned patients. This pain that affects the region in between the wrist and the elbow can occur at any time without any prior warning and can even be intolerable, depending on the condition of your median nerve. Seizing any activity by the concerned hand may prove to be of some help in such a condition.

9. Pain in the wrist that gets worse on wrist movement

The pain in the forearm and the wrist can get worse by movement of the fingers especially if that movements involves the lifting of any object (irrespective of its size and light weight). When the patient tries to grip any object a sharp pain shoots in the wrist. Usually it is limited to the wrist region but in certain cases it may even reach up to the shoulder region and become unbearable. Pain can also occur during the flexing of the muscles and during bending the wrist. The painful condition can be minimized by seizing any movement of the forearm and relaxing the grip on the object held.

10. Occasional tingling

Carpal tunnel syndrome is also characterized by an occasional numbness or tingling as if someone is pinching your forearm with a number of needles and pins. The feeling can be compared to that of the hand falling asleep, but it is much more intense than the normal tingling felt by the patient. There can be pain accompanying the tingling as well and can cause a lot of discomfort. This again can be dealt with a gentle and repeated shaking of the forearm or the fingers.

11. Numbness in forearm

The numbness in the forearms and wrist generally occurs at night. This can be either mild or severe numbness depending on the condition of damage that has been rendered to the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. Generally this numbness can be eased by a mild shake or movement of the fingers. This movement is also helpful in relieving any pain being felt by the patient.

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