What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
By Hege Crowton

If you are experiencing the following symptoms, then maybe you are suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: do you experience tingling of your thumb? How about your index, middle, and ring fingers? Are you always awaken by pain during the night? Does the pain go away by moving, shaking, or massaging such hand? Does the pain sometimes extend to the arm and the shoulder? Do you have numbness? Are there times when you feel uncomfortable using your hands you feel that your dexterity is lost?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the condition which affects the wrist and the hand of the patient. It involves a space in the wrist that is surrounded by bones and a rigid ligament. Such space is called the carpal tunnel.
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
By Dr. Michael L. Johnson

People who do repetitive tasks - housewives, secretaries, meat cutters, assembly line workers, carpenters, musicians, computer users and others - may be more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. Fractures, falls on the hand, and poorly designed vibrating hand tools may also damage the palm of the hand and cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Other causes are rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, Paget's bone disease, multiple myeloma, acromegaly and gout.

Your carpal (wrist) bones form a tunnel-like structure - the carpal tunnel - through which pass nine tendons and one nerve - the medical nerve. Carpal tunnel syndrome (also called occupational neuritis, partial thenar atrophy and median neuritis) occurs when the median nerve is irritated. Carpal tunnel syndrome is so common that it has been called the "occupational disease of the 1990s."
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Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome without Surgery
By Katherine Martin

Millions of Americans suffer from the pain and disability of carpal tunnel syndrome. Most do not know that conservative measures provide relief in the majority of cases.

Almost all people with the pain, numbness and weakness in the hands and wrists can be helped with manual medicine. The osteopath evaluates the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles first for any abnormality. Next is a structural exam to check for decreased range of motion of the wrist and hand. This is almost always abnormal. By opening up the canal where the median nerve and blood vessel travels, more oxygen can get to the tissue. Stretching the ligament that crosses transversely at the wrist also releases the joint and decreases pain and swelling. This is all part of osteopathic manipulative therapy.
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Massage for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
By Saman Baghestani

Massage therapy eases the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and increases grip strength, according to a recent study.

"Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms are lessened following massage therapy" was conducted by staff at the Touch Research Institutes at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Florida.

Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, tingling, burning and numbness of the hand. Sixteen people diagnosed with this syndrome participated in the study. All of them held jobs involving heavy word processing or computer work.
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Steroid Injection for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
By Gordon Cameron

What is the role of steroid injection in carpal tunnel syndrome?

Injection of corticosteroid into the carpal tunnel has been used as a treatment for some years. But what does the published evidence have to say about whether it works or not?

In my own experience, injection of steroid and / or local anaesthetic into the carpal tunnel area is effective in about half of the patients that I see. Some of them gain lasting relief of the carpal tunnel symptoms and others find that the symptoms of tingling in the median nerve skin area return a month or two after the injection.

Recent Studies on Steroid Injection for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Two small but quite good quality studies have been published recently. These are what is known as randomised controlled studies and the results of this kind of study are usually (but not always) reliable.
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