Do I Have Carpal Tunnel or Something Else?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common term we hear from family and friends complaining of numbness or pain in the wrist. However, because carpal tunnel syndrome is well known, other conditions also cause wrist pain and numbness.

To obtain a proper diagnosis, it is essential to understand the symptoms of other common conditions related to the hand and wrist, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome.

In this article, we will cover other issues that cause numbing, tingling, pain, or numbness in the fingers and wrists, as well as what you should do if you believe you’re suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when carpal bones apply pressure to your median nerve. 

When swelling happens in your wrist, the carpal tunnel constricts the median nerve, causing symptoms. 

These symptoms include radiating pain from the forearm to the shoulder, numbness, burning, or tingling starting at the thumb, pinky or felt within the forearm.

What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

While research tells us that “women and older people are more likely to develop the condition” frequently, there isn’t just one factor that causes carpal tunnel syndrome.

Your family’s medical history is often related to carpal tunnel syndrome. Anatomic differences factor into the size of your carpal tunnel, directly related to your pain.

For some people, repetitive hand use or how you position your wrist/hand affects whether or not you have carpal tunnel syndrome. Repetitive strain or activities that involve extreme flexion or extension of the hand and wrist for long periods put pressure on your nerve, thus causing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Lastly, you may be at risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome if you’re pregnant or have diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid gland imbalance.

Repetitive Strain Injuries

A Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is damage to the muscles, nerves, tendons, and ligaments resulting from repeated movements, sustained force, or prolonged awkward postures. 

The more often you repeat a motion, the more the injury develops. Each microtrauma and inflammation event causes further injury.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a type of RSI that specifically affects the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel in the wrist. 

While RSI can impact different body parts—including the elbows, shoulders, and neck—carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most commonly reported RSIs.

What Are the Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome typically start slow and often occur at night due to sleeping positions that cause restriction within the wrists. If you need to shake your wrist to regain feeling, you might have carpal tunnel syndrome. As the condition worsens, you will feel symptoms while driving, typing, or talking on the phone during the day.

Some common symptoms include numbness, tingling, burning, and pain. Also, be aware of “occasional shock-like sensations that radiate to the thumb and index, middle, and ring fingers.”

Pain, or tingling that travels up your arm, or weakness in your hand that causes you to drop things, are two critical signs of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Two things to note: carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms appear gradually. So, if these symptoms worsen over time, you need to see a doctor immediately for proper treatment.

Secondly, these symptoms show themselves at nighttime due to how we sleep, and the pain becomes so excruciating that it wakes you up from your slumber.

If you notice any of these symptoms and they continue to linger or worsen over time, contact a doctor as soon as possible.

What Else Could My Hand and Wrist Pain Be?

The difficulty of self-identifying carpal tunnel syndrome is that there are other potential diagnoses with similar symptoms. Here are a couple of other illnesses that are often confused with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an easily mistaken condition with carpal tunnel syndrome in the early stages.

This condition causes hand pain and numbness, but what differentiates RA from carpal tunnels is how the pain moves through your hand.

Along with the hand pain and numbness, RA causes pain within the larger knuckles and wrist joints. You will not feel pain along the nerve path if the condition is RA; typically, you will feel the pain simultaneously in the right and left hands.

Cervical Radiculopathy

Cervical radiculopathy is less common but is something worth ruling out. 

An existing condition within the cervical spine causes cervical radiculopathy. The cervical spine comprises the seven vertebrae that make up the neck. 

This is where the nerves of the arms, wrists, and hands begin. When irritation happens to these vertebrae, you will experience neurological symptoms, including pain, numbness, and tingling in the arms and hands.

Conditions that cause cervical radiculopathy include herniated discs, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and osteoarthritis of the cervical spine. 

These conditions can cause similar symptoms as carpal tunnel and are difficult to self-diagnose. 

However, If you experience mild aches, sharp or stabbing pain, there is the possibility that the cause is cervical radiculopathy. Another way to rule out carpal tunnel is the location of the symptoms. If you only feel the pain in the hands and wrist, it is more likely to be carpal tunnel and not cervical radiculopathy.

How Can I Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

If you’re wondering whether or not you can prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, the answer is yes. And it isn’t as difficult as you might think.

To avoid carpal tunnel, your primary focus should be adapting your daily routine to limit specific movements more likely to cause pain. This includes avoiding repetitive movements, ensuring wrists stay in a straight or neutral position, and keeping your forearms level with the surface of your desk.

Two other options to consider are taking breaks and practicing stretches. If your work requires repetitive movements, don’t hesitate to step away for a few minutes to rest your wrist. 

While on break, take a minute or two to perform some stretches. For example, ball your hand into a fist, then release your fingers and stretch them out as far as possible. Do that ten times as the movement helps release wrist tension, reducing the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome.

What Should You NOT Do if You Have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Any activities involving your wrist and hands may lead to worsening carpal tunnel syndrome pain. You should avoid hobbies and activities that require repetitive motions, such as texting, knitting, and typing. For sports, this includes pickleball, tennis, and hockey, as each requires usage of your wrists.

Also, if you’re experiencing any discomfort or pain you suspect may be related to carpal tunnel syndrome, don’t try to tough it out. Continuing to try and work through the pain could cause worsening symptoms and force you to take more severe interventions to prevent further injury.

Does Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Go Away on Its Own?

Sadly not. Once carpal tunnel pain exists, it won’t go away without treatments and interventions. That being said, just because you have carpal tunnel, that does not mean you need surgery.

Various options are at your disposal to help you live a pain-free life.

What Happens if You Leave Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Untreated?

Without proper treatment, your carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms can worsen over time. If you ignore early warning signs and assume the numbness or tingling will resolve on its own, be aware that if left untreated, It can lead to permanent hand or wrist damage.

For example, when the nerve is continuously compressed, it begins to lose its ability to send and receive signals. This leads to chronic numbness in your fingers, persistent tingling, and decreased response to touch and/or temperature.

You may also lose control of your thumb and have difficulty performing everyday tasks like buttoning a shirt, holding a cup, or gripping a pen.

As carpal tunnel progresses, your grip strength declines, making it harder to hold or lift objects.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatments

Depending on the severity of your carpal tunnel syndrome, there are two options in terms of treatment: non-surgical and surgical.

Non-Surgical Treatments

One of the most well-known non-surgical treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome is wearing a wrist splint. The splint keeps the wrist still while the patient sleeps to avoid twists or movements that might aggravate the nerves.

If your doctor has confirmed your carpal tunnel diagnosis, you may want to consider doing hand exercises to help manage and prevent pain.

Anti-inflammatory medications are a short-term solution to any pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. Research has shown that these medications do not improve carpal tunnel syndrome in the long-term, though, and should remain only a pain-relief option.

Your doctor might recommend a corticosteroid shot to “decrease inflammation and swelling, which relieves pressure on the median nerve.”

These solutions work best with an early carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis.

Surgical Treatments

Endoscopic carpal tunnel release is an outpatient procedure to alleviate carpal tunnel syndrome pain by relieving pressure from the median nerve. 

A small incision is created in the wrist, and an endoscope is inserted through the incision beneath the transverse carpal ligament, sending images to a TV monitor in the operating room. The surgeon cuts the constricting transverse carpal ligament, relieving pressure on the median nerve.

Since endoscopic carpal tunnel release is an outpatient procedure, you can expect less scarring and a quicker recovery time than traditional surgery.

Unsure if You Have Carpal Tunnel? Contact CORE Orthopedics Today.

If you believe you have one of these conditions, the next step is getting confirmation from a medical professional. The expert doctors at CORE Orthopedics believe in treating carpal tunnel symptoms early before they affect your everyday life.

Disclaimer: Going without treatment will cause the symptoms to worsen and possibly lead to surgery. If you suspect one of these conditions, don’t wait. Speak to a medical professional as soon as possible.