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Things That You Should Know About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome |
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Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful progressive
condition caused by compression of a key nerve in the wrist. It occurs
when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand,
becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve controls
sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers, as well as
impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and
thumb to move.
Sometimes, swelling from
irritated tendons or other kinds of thickening narrows the tunnel and
causes the median nerve to be compressed. The effect may be soreness,
weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist that goes up the arm.
Although painful sensations may indicate other conditions, carpal tunnel
syndrome is the most common and widely known of the entrapment
neuropathies in which the body's peripheral nerves are compressed or
traumatized.
Did you know that women are three times more likely
than men to develop carpal tunnel syndrome? You heard it right. This is
not to scare the ladies out there but for awareness sake as proven by
science. It is because the carpal tunnel itself may be smaller in women
than in men. The dominant hand is usually affected first and produces
the most severe pain. Persons with diabetes or other metabolic disorders
that directly affect the body's nerves and make them more susceptible to
compression are also at high risk but it usually appears to the adults.
The
danger of developing carpal tunnel syndrome is not limited to a certain
demographic of people like those in a single industry such as
manufacturing, sewing, finishing, cleaning and poultry packing. Truth
is, carpal tunnel syndrome is three times more common among assemblers
than among data-entry personnel. A 2001 study by the Mayo Clinic found
heavy computer use (up to 7 hours a day) did not increase a person's
risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.
During 1998, an
estimated three of every 10,000 workers lost time from work because of
carpal tunnel syndrome. Half of these workers missed more than 10 days
of work. The average lifetime cost of carpal tunnel syndrome, including
medical bills and lost time from work, is estimated to be about $30,000
for each injured worker.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is somewhat
similar to the mustard seed principle where it starts small that you
hardly even notice it but can end up really big as to paralyzing those
arms.
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