Steemit Learning Challenge-S22W1; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome"

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Have you been working or using your hand for a longer period of time and suddenly your hand began shaking alone?. At this point some people might think it like of blood. Well, maybe it is but at some certain point it's cause by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. And in this post we are about to go deep in what carpal tunnel is ,the causes, symptoms and how to prevent it. Are you ready ?? Let's start.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is one type of sickness that irritates the functioning of our hand and wrist. This may occur when there is strong pressure or load in the median nerve(Median Nerve is the nerve in front of our foream. It supplies muscles to the arm and overall movement of our hands). Such a nerve flows from the forearm into the palm of our hand. This median nerve controls the sensation of the thumb, three fingers and other than the little finger, and allows movements of muscles around the base of our thumb.

But, maybe, you're wondering what this carpal tunnel is, right?! Well, it is the narrow and rigid passageway that is at the base of our hand, comprising the ligaments and bones. It covers the median nerve and tendons. This median nerve gets compressed, causing pain, numbness, and tingling in the hand and arm, whenever the passage narrows or any swelling occurs inside it. Such a condition is called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

1. Acute: A sharp pain and tingling, which usually arises suddenly, often resulting from trauma.
2. Chronic: Pain and tingling that develops over a period of time.
3. Recurrent: Pain and tingling symptoms which return after being treated.
4. Idiopathic: Pain and tingling for which no cause is found.
5. Secondary: Pain and tingling related to other health conditions such as arthritis and diabetes.

These types serve to help the doctors identify the best way possible to make the patient with CTS feel better.

However, many factors contribute to developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and they include:

1. Repetition of Movements of the Hand: Beyond a certain period, doing specific work which requires repeated action of the wrist, such as typing, knitting, or operating any machine, results in inflammation and pressurizes the median nerve.
2. Anatomy: People with smaller carpal tunnels are more risk to this condition.
3. Health Conditions: Diabetes, rheumatoid disease, and imbalance in the thyroid gland are some of those conditions that result in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
4. Pregnancy: Fluctuation in pregnancy hormonal changes may be attributed to swelling in carpal tunnel.
5. Obesity: Overweight condition is a predisposition to this condition.

The sudden, and most common symptoms of CTS, to a great extent start off gradually and are characterized as:

• Tingling or numbness: tingling or numbness feeling, especially in the fingers or the hand; symptoms interfering with the thumb, index, middle, and especially ring fingers are commonly faced upon holding a steering wheel, phone, or newspaper or surely wakes one from sleep and stops one's sweet sleep.

• Weakness: You may only be feeling the weakness in your hand which will lead you to drop things you hold in the hand. This is because of the fact that the muscles that are supplied by the median nerve may not be working properly and it is weak.

• Pain: Pain in the wrist or hand may increase up in the arm.

The prevention of CTS includes modifications that reduce strains in the hands and wrists. These include:

1. Setting Workspace: The workstation should be such that there is no undue stress on the wrist; the keyboard should be comfortable to operate and preferably at elbow level. There are even a mouse to use which will help to reduce strain on your wrist and palm.

2. Rest and Stretching: Get up from the job frequently to engage in stretching and rest the hands with the wrists.

3. Correct Posture: One must always have correct posture in order not to load shoulders, neck, and arms at work.

4. Hand/Wrist Position: Try to avoid bending of wrist upwards or downwards. Keep them straight as much as possible.

5. Strengthening Exercises: Hand/wrist muscle strengthening exercises will really help at this points.

I believe we all might want to know what to do if we are already a victim of carpal tunnel syndrome!?. Below are some of the options available in case of diagnosis with CTS:

1. Wrist Splinting:If we splint our wrist at night it will help in maintaining the wrist in a neutral position, putting less pressure on the median nerve.

2. Medications: Trying out some pains relief drugs, such as ibuprofen, help to ease pain and reduce inflammation.

3. Steroid Injections: This injection is called Corticosteroid injections , and it helps in relieves of inflammation and swelling for temporary relief.

4. Physical Therapy: A physical therapist will be able to teach the right exercises to stretch and strength they wrist and hand muscles. For example, as the three exercises Im about to do in this topic with the help of a therapist who created this topic @ashkhan.

5. Surgery: However,this method is usually resorted to, especially in those cases where the relieving of pressure on the median nerve becomes necessary and ones can't cope it anymore. There is a common surgery known as carpal tunnel release, wherein a ligament pressing on the nerve is cut.

Following are some of the changes in lifestyles that could be done for CTS management and not further deteriorate the condition:

1. Healthy Diet: Healthy eating would keep the body weight low, hence reducing the probability of getting CTS.
2. Regular Exercises: Doing regular exercises keeps the body in fine tune and reduces risks of obesity and diabetes that might lead to this condition.
3. Stay Away from Smoking: This will reduce blood flow to the median nerve hence increasing the risks for CTS. Stopping smoking does improve nerve health.
4. Manage Stress: Get your stress out through some loosening-up procedures like yoga exercises, simple or normal exercises and meditation; this will really help in preventing muscle tension and hence CTS.

The diagnosis of CTS is usually made by history and physical examination aided by some investigations. I shall be able to diagnose the syndrome CTS from the following:

History

I will be asking the questions about his or her symptoms-for example, when they started, how bad they are, whether they come and go, or whether they are constant-and other questions besides. Questions about activities and past medical history will probably be asked in order to relate those symptoms.

Physical Examination

Physical Examination I will be testing sensation in the patient fingers and the strength of muscles in thier hand. I'll perform a series of tests that can help reproduce symptoms of CTS and therefore help me diagnose the following:

1. Tinel's Sign: I will lightly tap on the median nerve at the wrist to see if it will cause tingling in the fingers.
2. Wrist flexion test: I will ask him to press the backs of his hands together, keeping his wrists flexed. If, within a minute in this position, tingling or numbness in the fingers results, it is suggestive of CTS.

Diagnostic Tests

The physical examination may point towards CTS, and some of the tests that I might order for confirming the diagnosis and ruling out other disorders include:

1. X-rays: These are tests known to the world because at this stage, other disorders causing wrist pain would be ruled out, such as arthritis or fractures, which would let one surely know if it is carpal tunnel syndrome or not.

2. Electromyography (EMG): This is a test that documents electrical activity in the muscles. I will insert a needle electrode into the muscles that may show how well the median nerve is working. These can be done by resting and after contraction of the muscle by testing electrical activity.

3. Nerve Conduction test: However,this test will determines how well the median nerve is conducting electrical impulses. Small electrodes will be placed on the hand and wrist, and a small shock is passed through the median nerve to see whether electrical impulses are slowed in the carpal tunnel.

These excersice am about to do will help in relieving these symptoms by dissipating the pressure on the median nerve and by improving mobility at the wrist through. Following are the three exercises:

1. Wrist Rotations

How to perform:

1. First of one as to Hold and fold his or her arm straight out in the front .
2. After that you have to rotate your wrist, firstly and slowly in a clockwise direction and later then in a counterclockwise direction.
3. Do 10 revolutions in each direction.
4. Do 2-3 sets in each hand