Early Warning Signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
By Sara Butler
You’ve probably heard about carpal tunnel syndrome. Maybe you’re even a little concerned about it due to the fact you spend do much time typing at your computer. It’s a legitimate concern, but there are a few symptoms you can be on the lookout for to clue you in so you can start a conversation about it with your chiropractor. Here’s what you must know about the early warning signs of carpal tunnel syndrome.
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a condition that involves a nerve that runs from your elbow down your wrist and into your hand – the median nerve. This nerve runs through a structure called the carpal tunnel in your wrist and if one of the tendons, muscles, ligaments or bones is compromised in some way, it can impact your median nerve, causing pain and discomfort.
Getting Diagnosed Early
One of the best things you can do to treat CTS is to recognize it early and get in to see your chiropractor. A few of the most common early warning signs include:
- Hand clumsiness – If you’re dropping your keys a lot, have a hard time holding onto tools or you’ve dropped more than one bag of groceries lately, it could be a sign of CTS. The weakened grip that makes it difficult to form a fist, pick things up or open a jar should clue you in that something’s not right.
- Feeling pins and needles – If you have tingling in your fingers and hand then it could be an early sign of CTS. When the different tissues in your wrist become inflamed, it can irritate the nerve and cause the tingling sensation.
- An itch that can’t be scratched – If your median nerve is being irritated or inflamed, then you may feel an itchy or burning feeling in your thumbs, palms, middle finger or index finger.
- No feeling at all – This is one of the most frightening symptoms but you may experience numbness from your palm all the way to your fingers.
- Trouble sleeping – CTS symptoms can flare up at night, so if you have trouble falling asleep due to wrist pain or you experience it when you wake up in the morning, that can be a problem.
- Your signature is off – If you’ve noticed a difference in your signature over time it may be due to a loss of strength in your fingers due to CTS.
If you’ve noticed any of these early warning signs, bring it to the attention of your chiropractor!