Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Research Paper

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Alexandra “Alex” Erlewine, SMA
Alaska Career College

Etiology: Carpal tunnel syndrome can be dated back to the mid-1800s through surgical literature, however, confusion of the pathophysiology resulted in a variety of etiological theories and diagnoses. It was not known as carpal tunnel syndrome until after World War II. The three major pathophysiology diagnoses which prompted similarities to later become carpal tunnel syndrome were acroparesthesia , thenar neuritis, and median neuropathy after wrist fracture (Rudford, 2015). Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs as a result of compression of the median nerve. Anything that crowds, irritates or compresses the median nerve in the carpal tunnel space …show more content…
First, the arm becomes numb, painful and even tingles. The pain and numbness are as a result of the compression of the median nerve. The pain is usually experienced at the first three fingers of the hand and runs up the arms. The arm also becomes so weak that you may drop objects without knowing. The pain usually intensifies at night, and victims find themselves waking up in between their periods of sleep (Rudford, …show more content…
They may use physical examinations which entails hand, wrist and neck evaluation to check whether the individual has cases of nerve pressure. The doctor may use the following indicators to do the physical examination: the tenderness of the wrist, strength of the muscles and the sensation of the fingers (Staff, 2014). Apart from those, the physician can also use an individual’s medical history to analyze if the person may have the carpal tunnel condition. Moreover, the nerve conduction process can also be used for diagnosis. The nerve conduction process helps to measure the speed of the conduction nerve impulses of an individual. In the case of the carpal tunnel syndrome, the rate of the nerve impulse is always slower than normal as the nerve passes the hand.
Treatment:
The severity of the condition greatly impacts the recommended treatment. Some non-surgical treatments include: splinting, avoiding daytime activities that may provoke symptoms, over-the counter drugs (Ibuprofen, and other non-prescription pain relievers), prescription medications (corticosteroids , such as Prednisone), and alternative therapies . For a surgical approach, if non-surgical therapies do not relieve symptoms, some common surgeries include open release surgery and endoscopic surgery . Surgery is usually done under local or regional anesthesia in an ambulatory surgery setting (NIH, 2017).
Prognosis and

Show More

Related Documents: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Research Paper