Friday, March 07, 2008


Carpal tunnel syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "This article is about the medical condition. For the anatomical structure, see Carpal tunnel. For the Kid Koala album, see Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (album).
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) or Median Neuropathy at the Wrist is a medical condition in which the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to pain, paresthesias, and muscle weakness in the forearm and hand.[1] A form of compressive neuropathy, CTS is more common in women than it is in men, and, though it can occur at any age, has a peak incidence around age 42.[2] The lifetime risk for CTS is around 10% of the adult population.[3].
Most cases of CTS are idiopathic - without known cause. Repetitive activities are often blamed for the development of CTS, along with several other possible causes. However, the correlation is often unclear.
It is a multi-faceted problem and can therefore be challenging to treat. Still, there is a multitude of possible treatments, e.g. treating any possible underlying disease or condition, immobilizing braces, physiotherapy, massage therapy, medication, prioritizing hand activities and ergonomics. Ultimately, carpal tunnel release surgery may be required, in which outcomes are generally good.

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