What are the symptoms of wrist syndrome

We use our hands every day. The left hand is as important as the right hand, but some work may cause damage to the wrist and cause wrist syndrome, so we need to pay more attention to rest. So what are the symptoms of wrist syndrome? A common problem is numbness in the fingers, which is especially noticeable at night; the numbness will worsen during certain activities. Wrist syndrome requires medication, and if it is too severe, surgery is the only option.

1. Clinical manifestations

Common symptoms include paresthesias and/or numbness in the median nerve territory (thumb, index, middle, and radial half of the ring finger). Finger numbness at night is often the first symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome. For many patients, the discomfort of finger numbness can be relieved to a certain extent by changing the posture of the upper limbs or shaking the hands. Certain activities during the day may also cause the numbness of the fingers to worsen. Some patients only feel numbness in the tips of the middle finger or middle and ring fingers in the early stage, but only in the later stage do they feel numbness in the radial half of the thumb, index finger, middle finger and ring finger. Some patients may also experience numbness or paresthesia in the forearm or even the entire upper limb, and may even feel that these symptoms are the main discomfort.

2. Causes

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by increased pressure in the carpal tunnel, which causes compression of the median nerve. Whether the contents of the carpal tunnel increase or the volume of the carpal tunnel decreases, it can lead to increased pressure in the carpal tunnel. The most common cause of increased pressure in the carpal tunnel is idiopathic peritendinous synovial hyperplasia and fibrosis in the carpal tunnel, the mechanism of which is still unclear. Some studies suggest that excessive use of fingers, especially repetitive activities such as using a mouse or typing for a long time, can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, but this view remains controversial. Carpal tunnel syndrome is also prone to occur in pregnant and lactating women. The mechanism is unclear. Some believe that it is related to estrogen changes leading to tissue edema, but many patients' symptoms are still not relieved after the end of pregnancy.

3. Disease Treatment

1. Non-surgical treatment

There are many non-surgical treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome, including bracing and corticosteroid injections. Oral anti-inflammatory drugs and local injections of corticosteroids are also commonly used methods.

2. Surgical treatment

If conservative treatment options fail to relieve the patient's symptoms, surgical treatment should be considered. In 1924, Herbert Galloway performed the first carpal tunnel release surgery. After that, a variety of surgical methods emerged, including various incision surgeries, small incision decompression and endoscopic surgery.