Carpal Tunnel Symptoms

What Are The Signs Of Carpal Tunnel Disease

Not everyone who has pain in the hands, wrists or arms is experiencing carpal tunnel symptoms, but these are certainly the most common signs of carpal tunnel. Carpal tunnel symptoms generally include pain in either of the hands, wrists or arms. It can sometimes be felt in all these areas simultaneously. Individuals who are in the beginning stages of carpal tunnel are likely to experience symptoms like numbing or tingling in the affected area.

The tingling sensation may not be painful at first, but left untreated, pain can begin shooting from the arms into the fingers or vice versa. This can be painful enough to keep most people from doing every day tasks that would normally be pain free. Some people may even find that they can not get any sleep because the pain keeps them awake at night. Carpal tunnel tests are usually needed to make an accurate disgnosis (see below).

One rule for carpal tunnel disease is that the pinky finger is not going to be affected by carpal tunnel in any way. This is because a different family of nerves control the pinky alone and not the other fingers on the hand. When the pinky is affected, then carpal tunnel is not the problem.

Not everyone is going to have painful carpal tunnel symptoms. Some will just experience numbness instead. This may not be as hard to handle as pain, but the numbness can cause accidents to happen, especially when you have to catty something.

Other carpal tunnel symptoms include the sensation that your hands and fingers have falled asleep, or a sensation of cold in the same areas. In most cases, when carpal tunnel disease is the reason for this symptoms, it is due to the blood not being able to get to the hands.

Not matter what the task; carpal tunnel symptoms can affect the ability to earn a living. In severe cases, simple tasks like getting ready for work are impossible to complete. This can ruin the quality of life and can cause a lack of income.

Carpal tunnel tests and diagnosis

When these symptoms are predominant, then a trip to the physician is going to be necessary. There are several carpal tunnel tests that will assist your doctor in making a diagnosis.

First, your doctor will look test for possible weakness in the muscles controlled by the median nerve. He or she will also ask you if there has been a noticeable change in the sensations you feel in the wrist and hands. Two common tests used in diagnosing carpal tunnel disease include Tinel's and Phalen's Test.

Phalen's Sign The doctor pushes the back of your hands together for about 60 seconds, which compresses the carpal tunnel. If this action triggers the same symptoms of carpal tunnel disease that you have been experiencing, it is considered to be one of the signs of carpal tunnel disease.

Tinel's SignThis test is done by tapping the median nerve along its course in the wrist. If the tingling sensation in the fingers worsens, it helps confirm a carpal tunnel diagnosis. 

A device called an EMG can also detect abnormalities in nerve behavior that may be signs of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Those who get treatments early enough are going to recover much quicker than those who do not. Only a physician can determine whether or not carpal tunnel is the reason for the issues.

See related articles on nerve pain, carpal tunnel disease and carpal tunnel surgery.