What's Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

I get many cases of patients that come in complaining of carpal tunnel syndrome. It's such a commonly used phrase that most people are aware of the term, but often do not know what it means. Here's a simplified explanation...

The carpal tunnel is part of the wrist that nerves pass through. I like to explain the carpal tunnel as similar to a rubber band that hold together a bunch of asparagus. The asparagus represents a bundle of nerves. Carpal tunnel syndrome typically happens when there is wrist overuse (usually at a computer), and the nerves in the carpal tunnel get annoyed and act up with symptoms like pain and swelling. With so many people using the computer at their job all day, the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome is definitely going up. For more details on carpal tunnel syndrome, check out http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm

I am getting more and more cases of carpal tunnel syndrome. If you are concerned about this, have the ergonomics at your workstation re-evaluated. It's very important to be taking care that the body position that you are in for most of the day is a healthy one.

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