Carpal tunnel syndrome in which the median nerve is squeezed where it passes through the wrist. this often happens because the tendons in the wrist have become swollen and they press on the nerve. when the nerve is squeezed it can cause pain, aching, tingling or numbness in the affected hand. the symptoms tends  to be worse at night may disturb your sleep, but you may notice it most when you wake up in the morning.

CAUSES

work related activities like, typing and repetitive movements although some cases may be related to arthritis of wrist, thyroid disease and pregnancy. your risk of developing it may be greater if your job places heavy demands on your wrist or if you use vibrating tool.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP?

Treatment will depend on how severe the nerve compression is. It’s important to get help quickly if your hand muscles are weak. 

  • SPLINTS:-  Wearing a resting splint can help prevent the symptoms occurring at night, or a working splint can be useful if your symptoms are brought on by particular activities. Your doctor or physiotherapist can advise on where you can be fitted with a splint.
  • STEROID INJECTIONS:- To reduce inflammation, your doctor or a specialist physiotherapist can give you asteroid injection into your carpal tunnel. The injection may be uncomfortable, but the effects can last for weeks or months. A steroid injection into the wrist joint itself may help if you have arthritis in your wrist. 

Your pain should ease within2 weeks and you should recover over approximately a 4–6 week period. You should use the exercises overleaf for at least 6–8 weeks to help prevent symptoms returning. 

SIMPLE EXERCISES

  1. Wrist bend(forward and back):- Rest your elbow on a table, arm pointing up, wrist straight. Gently bend your wrist forward at a right angle and hold for 5seconds. Straighten your wrist. Gently bend it backwards and hold for 5 seconds. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
  • Wrist lift :- Place your palm on the table and lift the fingers up. Place your other hand across the knuckles at 90º and pushdown as the bottom hand tries to pull up. You should feel the muscles of your forearms contracting. Swap hands and repeat.
  • Wrist flex :- Keeping your arm straight in front with your palm facing down, gently bend your wrist down. Use the opposite hand to press the stretching hand back towards your body and hold for 15–30seconds. Straighten your wrist. Gently bend the stretching hand backwards and use the opposite hand to pull the fingers back. Hold for 15–30seconds. Do 3 sets with each wrist.
  • Finger bend:- Start with your fingers held out straight. Gently bend the middle joints of your fingers down toward your upper palm and hold for 5 seconds. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
  • Wrist stretch with weight:- Holding a light weight (e.g a tin of beans), stretch your arm out in front with your palm down. Slowly bend your wrist upward, and then return to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 10repetitions. Gradually increase the weight you hold.
  • Hand squeeze:- Squeeze a rubber ball and hold for 5 seconds. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.