Dr. IV on carpal tunnel syndrome
Selene: Hello, my name is Selene. I’m from Canada. My question is about carpal tunnel syndrome. How do I avoid this injury or having to undergo surgery?
Dr. IV Mirus: Hello Selene! It’s a great question and it’s really important. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) can negatively impact people who use sign language, such as ASL interpreters or deaf people, because it causes pain in the hands.
What is CTS? Visualize this — in the wrist, there is a band that covers the area. Under that band you have a big nerve called the median nerve. It is underneath and spreads in the hand. It helps you to control the thumb and fingers. It also helps you to sense touch. You also have tendons from muscles in this area. Four of them extend from the forearms to the hands.
What happens if you do repetitive movements with the wrists, such as signing often or typing on a keyboard or any kind of repetitive movement, it can cause inflammation underneath that band. There is not much room there. So if the nerves and the tendon becomes inflamed, It will put pressure on the nerves. When this happens, it feels like an electric shock or numb or sometimes a weakness if you try to grip. That can cause problems.
It is most commonly seen in women or people who have repetitive movements, such as typing or signing. Sometimes people notice that it gets worse at nighttime because as they pull their blankets to sleep, their wrists are under pressure.
What can you do? Take breaks if you type or sign often. That’s why interpreters tend to have breaks, to prevent CTS. Take a 10-minute break every hour if you’re working with a keyboard. Give your tendons time to rest so they don’t get inflamed and put pressure on the nerves. Also, when you sleep at night, you can use a brace to prevent your wrists from bending because people typically pull their blankets in this way. If the wrists are straight, it can reduce the inflammation. There is some medicine that can help, but the best way to prevent it is behavioral changes. Take breaks, wear a brace, and be careful.
If it gets really bad, surgery is sometimes an option. What they do is cut open the band so there is more room in the wrist. That’s one option but normally people don’t want to undergo surgery, so avoid it if you can. It’s a great question, thank you.