What exactly is the “carpal tunnel”? And how do you get carpal tunnel pain?
Your wrist has bones on three sides and tough, soft tissue (soft tissue means not bones) on the fourth side. This creates a passageway or “tunnel” for your median nerve and the tendons for your finger muscles to pass through.
Tendons are the ends of muscles that attach to bones. If you hold your lower arm tightly and move your fingers, you will feel the movement way up in your lower arm toward your elbow. Those are the muscle tendons for your fingers. They attach to the bones in your lower arm.
Some nerves give you feeling or sensation and some nerves
allow your muscles to move.
The median nerve that passes through your carpal tunnel does both–it gives feeling to your thumb, first (index) and middle finger and to the side of your third (ring) finger closest to your middle finger. It also gives you the ability to move your finger muscles.
If the median nerve gets compressed (squashed) as it passes through your wrist (or anywhere else that it travels!) it will cause symptoms in your hand.
Nerves hate to be pressed on!
If you have swelling of the tendons or other soft tissues that pass through your carpal tunnel, the nerve can get compressed. Swelling can come from various sources: weight gain, thyroid disorders, pregnancy and others.
Pressure on the median nerve can also be caused by bone changes in the wrist. RA (rheumatoid arthritis) or a broken wrist can put bony pressure on the nerve. In these instances of pressure from bones, surgery to take the pressure from the bone away from the nerve may be just what you need.
In the case of swelling of the soft tissues, the swelling can be relieved by losing weight, changing eating habits or taking care of your thyroid condition. After pregnancy ends, carpal tunnel symptoms usually go completely away.
Taking corrective measures for your posture and work positions and habits can also relieve the swelling in your carpal tunnel.
The good news is: muscles are responsible for most hand and wrist pain (and most everywhere else, too!) Muscles can be treated. You can correct your posture and get back closer to the posture you had as a child. (You didn’t have carpal tunnel pain then, right?) 🙂
The plan is to get rid of the swelling in your wrist and the pressure on your median nerve–where ever it is occurring from your neck to your hand--and get rid of your carpal tunnel pain.
Now, you have a better understanding of what’s inside your carpal tunnel and how carpal tunnel symptoms can be caused.