Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms and treatment folk. The introduction of medicinal mixtures. Treatment of diseases leading to carpal tunnel syndrome

Activity associated with the constant performance of monotonous flexion and extension movements by the hands leads to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome.

This disease affects middle-aged women more. Also, people who suffer from somatic diseases are at risk. In men, the syndrome appears much less frequently, since they have a thicker carpal tunnel.

This problem is a consequence of severe compression or pinching of the median nerve, located between the transverse ligament and the bones of the wrist. develops against the background mechanical injuries, inflammatory processes in joints, malfunctions endocrine system, tumors.

Although carpal tunnel syndrome is not very dangerous for health, home treatment is very important. After all, the disease negatively affects the quality of work and life. Sometimes you need to completely change the main type of activity.

It is very important for people who are most susceptible to this disease to understand what carpal tunnel syndrome is and how to treat it.

The carpal tunnel contains an important component of the hand - median nerve. If for some reason this nerve is pinched, then in this state it will no longer be able to function normally.

The sensitivity of the hand changes and the ability to move it is lost. A person loses the ability to control his hand normally, in particular, index finger, since the muscles do not receive the necessary impulses from the median nerve.

If such a problem is ignored for a long time, then negative consequences can't be avoided.

The reasons that provoke the development of such a disease:

The professional sphere of human activity, which is associated with constant monotonous hand movements.
Injuries, dislocations, fractures of the hand, which provoke compression of the median nerve.
Prolonged work at the computer.
Pregnancy, reception hormonal drugs. During this period, stagnation of fluid in the body may occur.
genetic predisposition.
Diseases of the endocrine system.
lactation or menopause.
Renal failure.
Joint damage.
Abnormal bone growth.
Hypothermia.

Treating carpal tunnel syndrome at home can relieve symptoms, even if it's severe.

In most cases, both hands are affected.. But the symptoms of the disease initially appear on right hand for right-handers and for left-handers. In the early stages, they are weakly expressed, so many simply do not pay attention to them.

The development of tunnel syndrome has the following symptoms:

clumsiness when trying to take something with your hand or fingers;
feeling of tingling and numbness of the fingers;
constant itching in the palm;
burning pain from wrist to elbow;
stiffness of the fingers at night and in the morning;
difficulty holding onto something or taking a bag;
puffiness;
change in skin color;
atrophy of the muscle at the base of the thumb - in severe cases.

At the first symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, the body tries to get rid of the disease on its own. Lymphatic fluid begins to accumulate between the cartilages in the hand.

At normal operation body, affected and inflamed cells are washed out, and the lymphatic fluid is absorbed by itself. But if the load on the hands increases or continues for a long time, then the inflammation increases significantly.

The situation gets worse and the natural healing process backfires. Thus, edema of the lymphatic fluid begins in the joints.

The acute degree of carpal tunnel syndrome is very easy to determine on your own.. The flushes of lymphatic fluid are more felt at night. With very severe pain, urgent action must be taken.

Neglect of treatment will lead to the need for surgical intervention.

Hands go numb, fingers go numb - what to do? Ways to treat numb hands

You can get rid of carpal tunnel syndrome with exercise. They are light and will minimize the impact of the disease. In order to enhance the effect, you need to perform several repetitions:

If the tunnel syndrome is at the stage when severe chronic pain occurs, then the following exercises can be used for home treatment:

Put your hands in the vessel hot water, clench your fingers into a fist and slowly rotate them in the water. It is important that the depth of the vessel allows water to reach above the joint of the hand. This exercise effectively relieves pain, especially at the initial stage. It should be done for at least 10-15 minutes. After the procedure, wrap your hands in a towel and do not immediately cool.
Make an alcohol warm compress on your wrist and leave it overnight. In this case, you need not to overdo it with the concentration, so as not to burn the skin of the hands.
In the progressive stage of the tunnel syndrome, massage will help. It's hard to do it on your own because severe pain. To do this, it is better to ask someone close to you. Knowledge and skills are not required. You need to massage the whole arm, start from the outside of the palm, then rise to outside forearm.

Effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome folk remedies. The use of various plants relieves pain in the fingers. Before use, it is better to consult a doctor.

Basic folk recipes:

Some folk remedies effectively get rid of puffiness - another unpleasant symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome. The essence of the treatment is the use of diuretic infusions:

It is better to prevent the disease than to endure unpleasant symptoms and treatment later. To do this, you should follow some recommendations:

A disease such as carpal tunnel syndrome makes life very difficult. Basically, people acquire it by doing their usual work.

It is important to remember the causes that provoke the syndrome and preventive measures. And if the disease has already made itself felt, do not neglect the treatment.

There are many folk recipes who will come to the rescue and relieve unpleasant symptoms.

People who work a lot at the computer, or those who, by the nature of their activities, often have to bend and unbend the brush (playing the piano, cello, construction works, sports, etc.) often face such a problem as carpal tunnel syndrome, which occurs from excessive squeezing or pinching of the median nerve. The most susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome are people who have somatic diseases. In addition, this problem is more common in women than in men, since their carpal tunnel is narrower.

Although carpal tunnel syndrome does not pose a health risk, the condition negatively affects the quality of life and work. In some cases, you may even need to change the type of activity. Therefore, at the first sign of illness, you should consult a doctor.

Causes of the disease

The following factors can be attributed to the causes of this disease:
- professional activity of a person associated with constant monotonous hand movements;
- various injuries, fractures, dislocations of the hand, resulting in compression of the median nerve;
- stagnation of fluid in the body due to pregnancy or taking hormonal contraceptives;
- genetic predisposition;
- diseases thyroid gland;
- diabetes;
- inflammatory and rheumatic diseases of the hand;
- abnormal bone growth (acromegaly).

Symptoms of the disease

The first symptoms of the onset of the disease are pain, tingling, burning and numbness of the fingers. At first they appear from time to time and quickly disappear, but after a while the patient begins to feel them constantly. With the further development of carpal tunnel syndrome, pain occurs in the fingers at night, which can radiate to the forearm and elbow joints. After rubbing or shaking the brush, the discomfort disappears. In addition, the sensitivity of the fingers may decrease in the patient, muscles become weaker, it becomes difficult for a person to hold small objects.

Diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome

It is difficult for a non-specialist to diagnose neurological diseases whose symptoms are similar. And only an experienced doctor, based on a survey and examination, will be able to make the correct diagnosis.

Diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome mainly consists of three tests:

1. Tinel test. With light tapping on the wrist with inside the patient feels tingling in the fingers.

2. Phalene test. If, during flexion and extension of the hand, for less than one minute, the patient begins to feel pain and numbness in the palm and fingers, then the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome is confirmed.

3. Cuff test. A blood pressure cuff is placed on the patient's arm. When pressure in it is slightly higher than normal and held for about a minute, a person with this disease feels numbness and tingling in the fingers.

Other research methods may be required, such as:

1. Electrodiagnostic, during which the speed of electrical conduction of the median nerve is measured and recorded.
2. MRI is a method that allows you to get a detailed picture of the state of human organs without internal interference using magnetic waves. In this case, pictures of the cervical spine are taken.
3. X-ray - a study using radiation. use this method to take pictures of the bones.
4. Ultrasound - a method that uses sound waves used to measure the width of the median nerve. This may be needed, for example, to guide injections for pathologies such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Treatment

First of all, it is necessary to treat neurological diseases that underlie the formation of carpal tunnel syndrome. For example, in hypothyroidism, replacement therapy, while the restoration of detuned functions occurs quite quickly. For women who use birth control pills, another method of contraception is offered. If, as a result of professional stress, carpal tunnel syndrome has arisen, treatment involves a change in the type of activity.

Physiotherapeutic methods give a good effect: electrophoresis with nicotinic acid, phonophoresis with hydrocortisone, laser therapy, mud therapy.

For successful treatment it is recommended to limit the load, give the affected hand a rest for at least a couple of weeks. In some cases, a splint is placed on the wrist to prevent it from bending. As painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac, nimulide, etc. are used. Cold compresses are applied to reduce swelling of the hands, and diuretics are also used.

Good results are obtained by manual manipulations of the hand, which are carried out in order to restore the correct position of the bones of the wrist, as well as the introduction of a mixture of anesthetic (lidocaine, novocaine, etc.) with corticosteroid hormone (diprospan, hydrocortisone) into the carpal tunnel. Usually, after the first injection, the patient feels significant relief. For recovery, as a rule, three injections of the drug are enough.

In situations where carpal tunnel syndrome is chronic, persistent, surgeons recommend surgical treatment.

Surgery

The operation is carried out under local anesthesia in a day hospital setting.
There are two types of surgical treatment: endoscopic procedure or open surgery. Depending on the condition of the patient, the doctor decides what kind of intervention is necessary. When conducting open operation cut the skin in the direction from the wrist to the palm and excise the wide ligament of the wrist, which limits the space in which the median nerve is located. After all the necessary manipulations, the wound is sutured.

Endoscopic surgery is no less effective, in addition, with such an intervention, the scar is not particularly noticeable. With the help of an endoscope, which is inserted into the skin incision, the surgeon performs excision of the ligament.

Postoperative period

The operated arm must be kept elevated to avoid swelling. Help improve finger mobility special exercises. After the effect of anesthesia wears off, the sensitivity of the hand will gradually recover.

Self-absorbable sutures applied to the wound disappear within 10 days. If the sutures were performed with non-absorbable sutures, they will be removed in the clinic after 10-14 days.

The rehabilitation process takes approximately two months. Most patients return to normal life after surgery. A person with carpal tunnel syndrome, treatment surgically completely relieves the symptoms of the disease, relapses are very rare.

Folk remedies for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome

Home remedies have been used by people for many years to treat conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Symptoms will not bother you if you change your position while working and take a break for 15 minutes. If your muscles rest more, then your health will improve. You can perform simple exercises, such as squeezing a rubber ball. A good effect is refusing to apply ice to the wrist area. In some cases, various plants are used for treatment, the use of which helps to reduce pain in the fingers. Of course, before doing this, you need to consult a doctor.

Infusion of cucumber and wild rosemary

An excellent folk remedy that helps to normalize blood circulation and relieve numbness in the fingers. Pickled cucumbers (3 pieces) should be cut into small pieces and mixed with three pods of red pepper. All this is filled with vodka (0.5 l). The infusion must be put in a dark place for 7 days, then strain and rub the sore wrist.

Sea buckthorn treatment

Sea buckthorn is a good remedy for hand pain for people with a condition such as carpal tunnel syndrome. The treatment is as follows. The berries are crushed and mixed with water. The resulting mixture should be opaque. Then it must be heated to 37 degrees and soar hands for half an hour. It is good to do a light massage before this.

After the procedure, the hands must be thoroughly wiped and insulated. You can use woolen mittens or gloves. Treatment is carried out for a month, then you need to take a break for two weeks.

pumpkin compress

A wonderful remedy that can alleviate the condition of the patient is pumpkin. A compress of pumpkin porridge is applied to the sore hand, wrapped with cellophane on top and wrapped in a warm woolen scarf. Such warming wraps are done once a day. The duration of treatment is five to six days.

Treatment with ammonia and salt

From numbness of fingers and burning sensation in carpal tunnel syndrome, this relieves healing agent: a tablespoon of salt, 50 grams of ten percent ammonia and 10 grams camphor alcohol dissolve in 1 liter of water.

Pepper oil rub

Black ground pepper able to overcome carpal tunnel syndrome. How to treat using this remedy? The recipe is simple: pour 100 grams of pepper with a liter vegetable oil and heat over low heat for at least half an hour. The resulting product in a warm form is rubbed into the affected joint several times a day.

Cowberry decoction

Relieves pain in the hands and swelling of such a folk remedy as a decoction of lingonberries. The leaves of the plant (several teaspoons) should be poured with water (one glass) and boiled for 15 minutes. The product removed from the stove must be filtered. Take one sip several times a day.

How to Reduce Puffiness

Swelling is another unpleasant symptom of a condition such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Treatment consists in the use of diuretic infusions. The use of an infusion of parsley roots gives an excellent result. One tablespoon of raw materials should be poured with boiling water (0.5 l) and left to infuse until morning. Healing infusion drink during the day in a sip.

A similar effect has a remedy from the leaves of white birch. A few tablespoons of leaves should be poured with boiling water (one glass) and brewed for about three hours. The infusion should be consumed in four doses of 1/3 cup before meals.

Bearberry has excellent diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties. The medicine is prepared in this way: the leaves of the plant (1 tbsp) are brewed with one glass of boiling water for several hours. Means drink a tablespoon several times a day.

Prevention of carpal tunnel syndrome

To reduce your chances of developing a condition such as carpal tunnel syndrome, consider the following guidelines.

When working at a computer, give preference to the touchpad, trying to use the mouse less often. If it is impossible to refuse to use the mouse, try to keep the brush straight while working. Pay attention to the position of the arm - from the elbow to the hand, it should lie on the table.

Use comfortable mouse and keyboard models, a wrist support is a good purchase, which will reduce the strain in the hand when working. If you have to spend a lot of time at the computer, change your chair to one that has armrests.

If you often type text on a laptop or netbook keyboard, connect a keyboard from a desktop computer to them from time to time.

If you start to feel tired, take a break for a little gymnastics so that your hands rest. Squeeze and unclench your fingers several times, make rotational movements with your hands in different sides, clap your hands, interlock your fingers. You can keep a toy on your desktop that will remind you of the need to warm up and which can be used for gymnastics. The rosary is great for this purpose, sorting through the beads one at a time, you will relieve tension in your hands. You can roll two balls in the palm of your hand.

If you know that you will have to load your wrist for a long time, pre-warm up your hands by doing gymnastics. You can take a bath with hot water.

Carpal tunnel syndrome makes life much more difficult. In most cases, we earn it by doing our normal business. Using our advice, you can protect yourself from this pathology or alleviate your condition if the symptoms of the disease have already manifested themselves.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a neuralgia of the carpal nerve, which is called carpal tunnel syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome.

The carpal nerve is a kind of neural cable emanating from the carpal ganglion, which is a connection of all the nerves of the lower arm to one point of the wrist ganglion for transmitting generalized signals. The carpal nerve passes at the beginning of the hand through a tunnel of three carpal bones and a transverse tendon ligament with the fourth. Together with the carpal nerve, the flexor tendons of the fingers pass through this place.

The carpal nerve is also one of the central main nerves of the hand (there are only three of them, there are also radial and ulnar nerves), which runs through the entire arm to the nerve plexus in the shoulder.

The carpal nerve is responsible for the sensitivity of the longitudinal middle of the palm from the thumb to the middle of the ring finger and for controlling the movements of the hand and the secretion of sweat glands. Roughly speaking, this nerve is responsible for the manipulation of the hand. Each hand has its own carpal nerve.

Tunnel syndrome or tunnel syndrome is a syndrome of neuralgia of nerves caused by their compression or injury by the surrounding muscles, tendons or musculoskeletal canals, as well as inflammation of the nerve canal from the surrounding tissues of the body.

The carpal tunnel is the opening or pathway for the passage of the nerve from the forearm to the fingers, through the wrist. In other words, this is the channel through which the neurons that make up the median nerve, also known as the carpal nerve, pass.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a disease of the median nerve - neuralgia or neuritis.

Nerve neuralgia is a sharp pain caused by atypical irritation of the nerve, which can be caused by its squeezing, clamping, inflammation of the surrounding tissues, as well as the nerve itself, prolonged exposure cold, salt deposition in nearby tissues, toxins and allergic reactions. This disease does not carry changes or damage. nervous tissue, but only delivers severe torment with disruption of the nerve itself.

Neuritis is a severe complication of neuralgia or an independent disease that leads to the death of neurons, and sometimes the entire nerve.

This ailment can be unilateral, if it affects one arm, and bilateral, when two nerves of both arms hurt.

Complications of the disease are represented by the possibility of damage to the nervous tissue with the possibility of its complete atrophy.

Symptoms

In carpal tunnel syndrome, the symptoms are typical signs neuralgia or neuritis, manifested on initial stages tingling like small needles or nettle burning, gradually turning into pain in the first three to four fingers of the hand, starting with the thumb.

Over time, the sensitivity of the zone of responsibility of the median nerve begins to decrease until it is completely lost.

Loss of sensation causes movement disorders the entire hand or just the fingers.

Sometimes SZK is accompanied by disturbances in the microcirculation of fluids with whitening or blue skin, coldness of the diseased hand to the touch, malfunctions in sweating, disorders appearance nails. Another sign - temporary relief can bring light movements of the fingers with the hand lowered.

Diagnostics

To distinguish CTS from other diseases that can cause pain reactions, diagnostic tests are performed:

The Tinnel test consists of lightly tapping with a special neurological mallet over the area above the median nerve pathway along the arm above the wrist. At positive reaction there is tingling of the fingers and painful electrical shootings in the hand, and sometimes there is pain in the area of tapping. Such a diagnosis is carried out in severe cases of CTS with increased pain syndrome.

Test for flexion-extension of the carpal joint, when the hand is maximally bent at the wrist and held for a minute. If during this interval a tingling of the area of \u200b\u200bresponsibility of the nerve appears, then the test is positive.

Conducting an electromonography to study the contractility of muscles and identify the causes of neuralgia, not related to nerve compression by surrounding tissues.

Cuff test with the imposition of a tonometer cuff with maximum pressure build-up above and below the wrist with the observation of paresthesia in case of a positive diagnosis. Paresthesia is a violation of sensitivity with false sensations of tingling, goosebumps, burning, etc.

Inspection for a "square wrist", i.e. the anatomical structure of the joint with a natural increase in thickness and approximation to a square shape. Such anatomical structure often cause natural compression of the nervous tissue.

Causes of SZK

Carpal tunnel syndrome, which most often occurs in elderly or mature people, almost never in children and less often in young people, can be caused by the following reasons:

Work associated with increased load on the hands or vibrational influence on them (long work on the keyboard also belongs to this type).
Squeezing by surrounding tissues in case of edema or hand injuries.
Obesity causing pressure on adipose tissue.
Genetically determined individual structural features - "square wrist", increased thickness of the transverse ligament and other changes in the structure of the joint).
Arthritis, gout, bone tuberculosis and others inflammatory diseases joints that can be transmitted to the nerve.
Influence of diabetes mellitus, vitamin deficiency, hormonal disorders, deviations nervous system.

The above external causes carpal nerve neuralgia cause internal reactions, which are directly SZK:

Most often, the pain reaction of the nerve in carpal syndrome is caused by compression of a large number of surrounding tissues that are closely adjacent to the nerve. Tissue enlargement can be caused by edema, inflammation, sprains, hematomas.
In second place are all kinds of inflammation of the surrounding tissues, which can cause pain both by themselves and transmitted directly to the nerve itself.
Hypothermia of the joint, provoking a pain reaction or inflammation of the joint.
Various deposits, tumors, hematomas, aneurysms near the nerve, squeezing it or irritating it.
Circulatory disorders caused by obstruction of any vessels of the hand and provoking edema or lack of nutrition of the tissues of the hand with corresponding consequences.

Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome

How to treat carpal tunnel syndrome is decided by a neurologist after the necessary examination with an accurate diagnosis of the causes of the disease.

The traditional treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome is to heal without surgical intervention and begins with complete rest of the diseased limb up to plastering with a plaster splint. Further, certain groups of drugs are prescribed: first of all, anti-inflammatory, then dehydrating diuretics that help relieve tissue edema, drugs that restore the microcirculation of intraorganism fluids. Maybe, local administration injections of glucocorticoids, designed to urgently reduce swelling and relieve inflammation. Ends traditional treatment the appointment of physiotherapy procedures permanent magnetic field with acupuncture to improve metabolic processes and nerve stimulation.

As a rule, traditional methods are sufficient, but sometimes it is necessary surgical intervention for cutting the transverse ligament of the wrist, releasing the nerve and relieving its pressure on the nerve and tendons, as well as restoring blood circulation if it pinched the vessels.

Unconventional measures to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome - treatment with folk remedies is even more popular than medical ones due to a frivolous attitude to such an ailment. Elderly people are especially fond of resorting to them - the main risk group for this disease.

The essence of the methods traditional medicine the same as the traditional one: removal of edema, inflammation, stimulation of the nerve, return of hand functions.

Treating CTS at home is a dangerous undertaking due to complications in the form of neuritis, overlooking the treatment of the most serious causes, such as arthritis or bone tuberculosis, and other diseases, however, having a very effective effect in relieving symptoms.

The first remedy for carpal tunnel syndrome is a special hand gymnastics, which allows you to both relieve pain and prevent the onset of the disease:

With all your strength, first clench your fist, and then unclench it as much as possible, stretching your fingers.
Rotation with clenched fists in all directions.
Show with the application of force a kind of OK sign by alternately applying all fingers to the thumb.
Put your palms together with straight elbows in the form of a Chinese greeting and try to lower as low as possible without moving your elbows and without moving your arms away from your body.
Grasp the wrist of one hand from the back with the palm of the other in the transverse direction and bend the clasped arm. Now you need to try with all your might to unbend it, while providing maximum resistance with your clasped hand.

Rubbing and compresses are made with various warming compositions and compositions that improve blood circulation, promote the outflow of excess fluids from the limb and have an anti-inflammatory effect. Such compositions may contain components from burning products, for example, pepper, mustard, such vitamin-containing and healing products as sea buckthorn and aloe, relieving swelling - cucumber, salty products.

Despite the availability and effectiveness of alternative methods, self-appointed diagnosis and treatment should be checked and agreed with a neurologist in order to avoid complications, and also not to miss any factors that caused the disease.

Prevention

If earlier carpal tunnel syndrome worried primarily the elderly, whose limbs were distorted by arthritis, gout and suffered from disorders of the circulatory and nervous system, and secondly, workers engaged in very hard and harmful physical labor, for example, logging, which is associated with hypothermia and the impact of blows to the joints, today the main contingent of patients with this disease has changed dramatically. Now carpal tunnel syndrome affects most of the people, regardless of age, among which there are even schoolchildren.

This is caused by the general long-term work on the computer, during which the hands are in strong tension and almost unchanged posture. Having got used, a person may not notice discomfort from overstrain, but a negative impact can cause improper development of muscles and ligaments with squeezing by them of both nerves and others internal parts brushes. For the prevention of SZK, you can use very simple tricks:

When working at a computer for a long time, use the touchpad instead of a mouse, as it requires more movement and helps to knead the hand and wrist area.
Use a wrist support that aligns the position of the hand while working on the keyboard and does not allow pinching the nerve.
From time to time, carry out carpal preventive gymnastics, which was described above.
Before prolonged work, the wrists must be warmed up by stimulating blood circulation with gymnastics or a warm hand bath.
Children and adolescents should not be allowed to work on a computer for a long time, as this will cause not only impaired development of the carpal joint, but also vision, as well as the musculoskeletal skeleton. During work, you need to do a little general gymnastics every half hour.

If you are concerned about carpal tunnel syndrome, try treating yourself at home. This can help you avoid a trip to the doctor or even surgery.

1. Reasons

Carpal tunnel syndrome is located on the palm side of your wrist. It is a narrow passage formed by bones and ligaments. When, for one reason or another, the median nerve, which passes through this passage to the thumb and first three fingers, is under constant pressure, inflammation can occur, which is called carpal tunnel syndrome (carpal tunnel). This inflammation often appears due to an underlying medical disease(diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, high arterial pressure or autoimmune disease a type of rheumatoid arthritis) that causes swelling in the wrist and sometimes obstruction of blood flow. Fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause may be another cause of this syndrome.

When the tendons that attach muscles to bone experience too much repeated stress, they warn us with pain signals in an attempt to protect themselves from further damage.

“In a small area, such as the wrist, the tendons pass through a narrow tunnel above the carpal joint and the bones of the wrist,” explains Amy Baxter, MD and CEO of MMJ Labs Pain Relief, a pain relief research organization. “When cells are overstressed, they secrete lactic acid, which helps keep fibrous tissue together to enhance protection, but it also causes inflammation and swelling.”

2. Symptoms

Common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are pain, numbness, and tingling. “Patients feel characteristic numbness and tingling of the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers hands, most often at night (awakening), while driving a car, when using mobile phone or other hand actions,” says David Clark Hay, MD of the Kerlan-Job Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles. “Patients start shaking their hand to get rid of the burning and tingling.”

Symptoms often develop slowly, beginning with a tingling sensation, usually in the morning or when falling asleep at night.

3. Traditional medical therapy

The most common treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome include immobilization (fixation) of the affected area to stop repetitive movements or surgery to relieve pressure on the nerve. However, a study published in the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy found that physical therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome can treat as well as surgery.

The study involved 100 women from Madrid with the disease, half of whom underwent physical therapy and the other half underwent surgery. Researchers have found that physical therapy (specifically an approach called chiropractic) improves hand and wrist function and reduces pain just as effectively as standard surgery for the condition. Moreover, after a month, patients who underwent physical therapy showed top scores than those who had surgery.

4. Cold and vibration treatment

You've probably heard of treating an inflamed area with ice cooling, but Baxter warns that this leads to muscle and tendon hardening and reduced blood flow. “Before applying ice, try massaging the affected area to increase blood flow,” advises Dr. Baxter. "Massage does muscle fibers soft and flexible, so damage from repeated hazardous loads is minimized and the ice is more tolerable,” he says.

The simplest treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome is to ensure adequate rest for the wrist and fingers. Stop activities that you think may be causing numbness and pain. When symptoms subside, activity can be gradually resumed. Orthopedic surgeon Shari Lieberman, MD, says patients should evaluate the ergonomics of their home and workspace to identify problems that prevent symptoms from easing. “Office changes that can help relieve symptoms include switching to an ergonomic keyboard or mouse, repositioning the keyboard and mouse so that the wrists are in a neutral position, or using soft wrist rest,” she says. “At home, patients can take breaks from repetitive tasks to rest their hands and wrists.”

6. Stretching

Simple wrist exercises can be done any time during the day, whether you're sitting at your desk at work or standing in line at the grocery store. Clench your palm into a fist, and then gently straighten the fingers of the palm, sliding over them and along the palm with the fingers of the other hand. Repeat the clench-extension action 5-10 times to help relieve any pressure in the wrist. If you have fluid retention problems due to pregnancy or a fracture, develop the habit of raising your arms when possible.

7. Splinting

Keeping the wrists straight (non-bent) helps relieve pressure on the median nerve. Unpleasant symptoms are more likely to occur at night, so wearing a splint in the evening can help relieve symptoms before they start. If you have these symptoms at work due to certain hand activities, you can also wear wrist splints during the day. “The purpose of the splint is to keep the wrist in a neutral position by opening up the carpal tunnel and thereby preventing pressure on the nerve,” says Dr. Lieberman. “We tend to sleep with our wrists bent, which aggravates the symptoms. These splints can also be worn during any strenuous activity that exacerbates symptoms."

8. Anti-inflammatory drugs

At mild form Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen work well for carpal tunnel syndrome, says Dr. Lieberman. “In mild cases, some patients find that other anti-inflammatory methods such as acupuncture and natural anti-inflammatory compounds such as turmeric and high oil oils help. fatty acids omega-3,” says Dr. Clark Hay. However, he warns that persistent or worsening symptoms, such as burning or tingling that becomes permanent, can be the start of permanent numbness or weakness if left untreated.

9. When Home Treatments Don't Work

If you are not getting relief when using the above methods, then next step there will be a steroid injection, says Dr. Lieberman. “The steroid injection reduces inflammation, which results in more space in the tunnel and less pressure on the median nerve,” she says. The success of this treatment is high: 90 percent of patients get relief from their symptoms with steroid injections.

The alternative is surgery, which usually cures carpal tunnel. "Modern surgical methods─ miniature open surgery or endoscopic surgery─ allow us to almost completely eliminate the symptoms in the vast majority of patients, if they did not hesitate too long whether to go for surgery or not, ─ says Dr. Clark Hay.

With carpal tunnel syndrome, it is important to take action quickly. “Don’t wait more than 2-3 months to see a local surgeon or orthopedic specialist,” says Skills 4 Living Therapy project leader Jeanne Harper, who has 30 years of treatment experience occupational diseases and certification in the field manual therapy. “Prolonged compression of the nerves can cause nerve damage and lead to longer postoperative recovery,” she says.

Moisov Adonis Alexandrovich

Orthopedic surgeon, doctor the highest category

Moscow, Balaklavsky prospect, 5, Chertanovskaya metro station

Moscow, st. Koktebelskaya 2, bldg. 1, metro station "Dmitry Donskoy Boulevard"

Moscow, st. Berzarina 17 bldg. 2, metro station "October field"

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Education and professional activities

Education:

In 2009 he graduated from the Yaroslavl State medical academy majoring in medicine.

From 2009 to 2011, he completed clinical residency in traumatology and orthopedics at the clinical hospital ambulance medical care them. N.V. Solovyov in Yaroslavl.

Professional activity:

From 2011 to 2012, he worked as a traumatologist-orthopedist at the emergency hospital No. 2 in Rostov-on-Don.

Currently works in a clinic in Moscow.

Internships:

May 27 - 28, 2011 - Moscow city- III International Conference "Surgery of the Foot and Ankle" .

2012 - training course in foot surgery, Paris (France). Correction of deformities of the forefoot, minimally invasive operations for plantar fasciitis (heel spur).

February 13-14, 2014 Moscow - II Congress of traumatologists and orthopedists. “Traumatology and orthopedics of the capital. Present and Future".

June 26-27, 2014 - took part in V All-Russian Congress of the Society of Hand Surgeons, Kazan .

November 2014 - Advanced training "Application of arthroscopy in traumatology and orthopedics"

May 14-15, 2015 Moscow - Scientific and practical conference with international participation. "Modern Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgeons".

2015 Moscow - Annual international conference.

May 23-24, 2016 Moscow - All-Russian Congress with international participation. .

Also at this congress he was a speaker on the topic Minimally invasive treatment of plantar fasciitis (heel spurs) .

June 2-3, 2016 G. Nizhny Novgorod - VI All-Russian Congress of the Society of Hand Surgeons .

June 2016 Assigned . Moscow city.

Scientific and practical interests: foot surgery and hand surgery.

carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (carpal tunnel syndrome) is a complex of symptoms caused by compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. Accompanied by numbness of the fingers and weakness of the hand.

The carpal tunnel is quite narrow. The lower and two side walls form the bones of the wrist. Top part tunnel is covered by a dense carpal ligament (transverse carpal ligament).

The median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel and the flexor tendons of the fingers. The median nerve carries sensory branches to the first three fingers and half of the fourth, as well as motor branches to the short muscles of the first finger.

Causes of carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the tissues surrounding the flexor tendons in the wrist become swollen and put pressure on the median nerve. These tissues are called synovial membranes. Synovial membranes produce a fluid that lubricates the tendons, facilitating their movement in the tendon sheaths.

Many things contribute to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome:

Heredity is the most common factor in carpal tunnel syndrome.
Hormonal changes associated with pregnancy or menopause can cause water retention in the synovial membranes.
Age - the disease is more common in women after 50-55 years.
Some systemic diseases may be the cause. such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid dysfunction.

Fragment of the program "Health". Tunnel Syndrome (from Youtube.com)

Other factors that can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome include:

A fragment of the program "Miracle of Technology" (from Youtube.com)

Rheumatoid arthritis
Fractures of bones and arthrosis of the joints of the wrist
Cysts or tumors that grow in the area of the carpal tunnel
infections

Signs and symptoms of carmal tunnel syndrome:

Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome may appear at any time. Finger numbness often occurs during sleep. During the day, symptoms often occur when the patient is holding something in their hand: a phone, or while reading a book, or while driving. Changing hand positions or shaking helps reduce symptoms.

Symptoms initially come and go, but they can become permanent over time. Feelings of awkwardness or weakness can limit fine finger movements such as buttoning a shirt, tying shoelaces, etc. This condition may affect professional activity patient.

During the examination, the doctor may determine:

Numbness in the palms thumb, index, middle finger and half of the ring finger.
Tapping over the carpal tunnel area usually results in "shooting" in the fingers (this is called Tinel's sign)
Maximum wrist flexion for 60 seconds usually results in numbness, tingling, or weakness (called the Phalen test)

Additional diagnostic methods:

ElectroNeuroMyography (ENMG)
Nerve conduction velocity
An x-ray of the wrist joint is performed to exclude other diseases (eg, arthrosis, the consequences of injuries)

Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome

Exists following methods treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (carpal tunnel syndrome):

1. Conservative treatment

If the disease is diagnosed and treated for early stages, tunnel syndrome can be stopped without surgery.

If conservative methods not effective within 6 months, recommended surgery carpal tunnel syndrome.

2. Surgery

The decision to have surgery is based primarily on the severity of the symptoms.In more severe cases, surgery is done right away because conservative carpal tunnel treatments are unlikely to help.

Exists traditional method operations - "open", when the skin is dissected directly above the carpal ligament. And there is a minimally invasive technique that is performed through a mini access using a camera and special tools.

Surgical technique.In most cases, the operation is performed on an outpatient basis.conditions under local anesthesia.

During the operation, the carpal ligament (transverse carpal ligament) is dissected, thereby decompressing the median nerve.

Recovery.Minor pain, swelling, and stiffness in the hand can be expected after surgery. To reduce possible postoperative consequences, individual rehabilitation programs will be developed for you, including whole complex measures for the qualitative restoration of the function of the brush.

Minor pain in the palm usually persists for several months after surgery. This is the time the nerve fibers need to recover.

Driving a car, your daily activities can be resolved by the doctor just a few days after the operation. The doctor will also determine when you can return to work.