Carpal Tunnel Syndrome/Treatment

Carpal tunnel syndrome, or median nerve compression, refers to a pinched nerve or pressure on your median nerve, which causes a lack of space and blood flow to the median nerve area. As a result, patients often experience numbness, tingling, weakness, and/or radiating pain in the hand, wrist and forearm area. Commonly caused by overuse or repetitive motions (like typing), this condition is typically seen in women with a higher incidence associated with aging. 

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The goal of treating hand and wrist pain caused by carpal tunnel is to effectively decrease pressure and improve blood flow to the median nerve. Non-surgical treatments can alleviate this pressure, using night-time splints, 100 to 200 mg of vitamin B6 each day, as well as steroid injections. However, continued carpal tunnel can result in permanent nerve damage, which is why if conservative treatments do not alleviate this condition, carpal tunnel surgery may be recommended. There are several carpal tunnel surgical options available which include open release, endoscopic directed release, and minimal incision release. These options increase the space surrounding the media nerve by sectioning the transverse carpal ligament and opening up the volar aspect of the carpal tunnel.