Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a syndrome that affects the hand and arm usually characterized by tingling, numbness and other signs and symptoms. The carpal tunnel is a narrow pathway located on the palm side of the wrist, which protects the median nerve (the main nerve) of the hand and the nine tendons that help the fingers move. It is caused by a compressed nerve in the wrist. Many factors can lead to Carpal tunnel syndrome like certain underlying health conditions, possible patterns of the hand, the anatomy of the wrist, wrist injuries, etc. However, in many cases no single cause of the Carpal tunnel syndrome is identified.
The signs and symptoms of this syndrome usually start and develop gradually over a long period of time. First, this syndrome is characterized by a numbness and tingling sensation in the thumb index finger or middle finger that comes and goes. Over the time these signs and symptoms become persistent, aggravate and are also accompanied by weakness of the hand and a tendency to drop objects. Characteristic is also the pain at night located on the affected wrist which interferes with sleep.
