Carpel tunnel syndrome

BANGALORE: Carpel tunnel syndrome has become a common disorder in which the wrist, which is surrounded by the a band of fibrous tissues that functions as a support for joint becomes tight in space with fibrous band. With spike in the number of patients complaining of carpel tunnel syndrome, the experts say, though there are no specific causes, factors including obesity, thyroid, excessive use of computers and pregnancy doubles the risk of carpel tunnel disorder. Most often, it leads to reduced grip strength and gradual numbness followed by increase in pain that can be spread up  to the forearm, shoulder and neck. Dr Gaurav Sharma, Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, St Johns Medical College says, it has become a very common disorder and nearly 10 to 15 patients who complain of carpel tunnel syndrome, visit the hospital on a regular basis. People suffering from this disease initially feel numbness and tingling of the hand in the distribution of the median nerve.Speaking of the symptoms, Dr Sharma further says, symptoms can start gradually with frequent burning, tingling, or itching with numbness in the palm of the hand and fingers especially the thumb, index and middle finger. The fingers can feel useless and swollen, even though little or no swelling is apparent. A person suffering from carpel tunnel syndrome may wake up feeling the need to “shake out “ the hand or wrist.Orthopaedics maintain that one should be cautious of repetitive hand motions, heavy grasping, positioning excessive computer usage and anti-inflammatory medicines. Dr S Rajanna, senior specialist at the Department of Orthopaedics, Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital says that carpel tunnel syndrome is very common among female than men and surgical intervention is the simplest and safest treatment of this disorder.