Skip to main content

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Feb 6, 2024.

Overview

Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common hand conditions. It is caused by pressure on the median nerve in the carpal tunnel of the wrist. The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway surrounded by bones and ligaments on the palm side of the hand. When the median nerve is compressed, symptoms can include numbness, tingling and weakness in the thumb and fingers.

Wrist anatomy, health conditions and possibly repetitive hand motions can contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome.

Proper treatment usually relieves the tingling and numbness and restores hand function.

Symptoms

Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome usually start gradually and include:

When to see a doctor

See your healthcare professional if you have symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome that interfere with your usual activities and sleep patterns. Permanent nerve and muscle damage can occur without treatment.

Causes

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve.

The median nerve runs from the forearm through a passageway in the wrist to the hand, known as the carpal tunnel. The median nerve provides sensation to the palm side of the thumb and all of the fingers except the little finger. This nerve also provides signals to move the muscles around the base of the thumb. This movement is known as motor function.

Anything that squeezes or irritates the median nerve in the carpal tunnel space may lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. A wrist fracture can narrow the carpal tunnel and irritate the nerve. This also may occur due to swelling and inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis or other diseases.

Many times, there is no single cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. Or the cause may not be known. It may be that a combination of risk factors contributes to the development of the condition.

Risk factors

Several factors have been linked with carpal tunnel syndrome. Although they may not directly cause carpal tunnel syndrome, they may increase the risk of irritation or damage to the median nerve. These include:

Prevention

There are no proven strategies to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, but you can lessen stress on the hands and wrists with these methods:

Ideal seated workstation posture

Lessen stress on the hands and wrists to help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. While using a keyboard, do not bend the wrists all the way up or down.

Diagnosis

To diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome, your healthcare professional may ask you questions about your symptoms. You also may need one or more tests to find out whether you have carpal tunnel syndrome:

Treatment

Treat carpal tunnel syndrome as early as possible after symptoms start. In the early stages, simple things that you can do for yourself may make the symptoms go away. For example:

Other treatment options include wrist splinting, medicines and surgery. Splinting and other conservative treatments are more likely to help if you've had only mild to moderate symptoms that come and go for less than 10 months.

If you have numbness in your hands, get treatment from a healthcare professional.

Nonsurgical therapy

If the condition is diagnosed early, nonsurgical methods may help improve carpal tunnel syndrome, including:

If carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by rheumatoid arthritis or another inflammatory arthritis, then treating the arthritis may reduce symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. However, this has not been proved by research.

Surgery

Surgery may be appropriate if symptoms are severe or don't respond to other treatments.

The goal of carpal tunnel surgery is to relieve pressure by cutting the ligament pressing on the median nerve.

Three different techniques are used in carpal tunnel surgery:

Discuss the risks and benefits of each technique with your surgeon before surgery. Surgery risks may include:

During the healing process after the surgery, the ligament tissues gradually grow back together while allowing more room for the nerve. This internal healing process typically takes several months, but the skin heals in a few weeks.

Your surgeon likely will recommend that you use the hand after the ligament has healed. Slowly work back to full use of the hand and do not use forceful hand motions or extreme wrist positions.

Soreness or weakness may take from several weeks to a few months to resolve after surgery. If your symptoms were very severe, they may not completely go away after surgery.

Carpal tunnel release

During carpal tunnel release, a surgeon makes an incision in the palm of the hand over the carpal tunnel ligament and cuts through the ligament to relieve pressure on the median nerve. The surgery may be done by making one incision on the palm side of the wrist or by making several small incisions.

Lifestyle and home remedies

These steps may provide temporary symptom relief:

If pain, numbness or weakness persists, see your healthcare professional.

Alternative medicine

Alternative therapies in your treatment plan may help you manage carpal tunnel syndrome. You may have to experiment to find a treatment that works for you. Always check with your healthcare professional before trying any complementary or alternative treatment.

Preparing for an appointment

Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment and what to expect from your healthcare professional.

What you can do

What to expect from your doctor

Your healthcare professional may ask:

What you can do in the meantime

There are some simple things you can do before you see a healthcare professional for the first time.

First, try to learn whether any activities seem to make your symptoms worse. Change how you do those activities or don't do them, if possible. For example, if driving seems to cause symptoms, try changing the position of your hands on the steering wheel.

You also might try using a wrist splint at night to see if that helps the symptoms.

© 1998-2024 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Learn more about Carpal tunnel syndrome

Treatment options

Care guides

Symptoms and treatments