Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)

CTS progresses in 4 stages.

• Stage I - discomfort in wrist, first 3 fingers, morning stiffness.
• Stage II - localised tingling pain, numbness.
• Stage III - clumsy hand, loss of grip.
• Stage IV - sensory loss along first 3 fingers, hand muscle atrophy/wasting.

1. Phalen's Test
2. Reverse Phalen's Test
3. Carpal Compression Test
4. NCV, EMG
5. Blood Test ( to rule out other affections

It is important to understand that Surgical method is the last resort.

It can be managed by just Physiotherapy!

1. Physiotherapy - exercises, stretching
2. NSAIDs - for temporary pain relief
3. Steroid injection
4. Surgical decompression - slitting the flexor retinaculum.

You don't need to wait for the symptoms to appear in order to manage the condition!

Preventive measures are of more importance specially for those who have a desk job

1. Timely break from typing/ laptop work
2. Correct, ergonomically appropriate desk, chair (the table height matters!) If you want add a cushioning to the edge of the table
3. Wrist exercises : rotations, flexion-extention(up-down movt), stretches regularly at work.
4. Equal amount of rest to our wrist and fingers is required as for our brain!