BTEC Applied Science Biology Unit 8: Physiology of Human Body System (VERIFIED)

BTEC Applied Science Biology Unit 8: Physiology of Human Body System (VERIFIED) Carpal tunnel syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that causes numbness, pain and tingling in the hand and the arm. This condition occurs when one of the major nerves to the hand (median nerve) is squeezed or compressed. The median controls the movement and feelings of all our fingers except the pinky. Swelling inside your hand causes the compression in carpal tunnel syndrome. That is what leads to the weakness or numbing on the side of our hands near the thumb. This condition affects people of all ages but its more common in people over 50. The median nerve is very sensitive to pressure, most of times ppl don’t know the cause for this issue, but it can be due to:  Repetitive movement, like typing, playing instrumental music (piano). Especially this becomes true if your hands are lower than your wrists.  Hypothyroidism  Obesity  Rheumatoid arthritis  Heredity  Pregnancy  And diabetes Symptoms  Numbness, tingling and pain primarily in the thumb and index, and sometimes the pain travels up the forearm toward the shoulders  Occasional shock like sensation that radiate to the thumb and index  Weakness and clumsiness in the hand. BTEC Applied Science Biology Unit 8: Physiology of Human Body System Also night time symptoms are very common. That’s because many people sleep with their wrists bent. As carpel tunnel syndrome gets worse you may have less grip strength because the muscles in your hands shrink Treatment This condition can be treated naturally by doing some Lifestyle changes, this means stopping or taking a break from activities that require repetitive motion and causes you pain. Exercising, this means doing more stretching or strengthen moves that can make you feel better. If they don’t go naturally, doctors may do some nonsurgical treatments like Bracing or splinting this treatment requires you to wear a brace or splint (mostly at night) to keep you from bending your wrist while sleeping or doing activities. Keeping your wrist in a straight position reduces pressure on the median nerve. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Here medications such us ibuprofen and naproxen can help in relieving pain and inflammation. Steroid injections Corticosteroid is a powerful anti-inflammatory medicine that is injected into the carpal tunnel. Even though they do relieve pain and inflammation their effect is temporary. But none if the above treatments work then the best treatment is Surgical treatment The surgical procedure for this condition is called a carpal tunnel release. There are two different surgical techniques for doing this, but both of them relieve pressure on the median nerve by cutting the ligament that forms the roof of the tunnel. By doing this you increase the size of the tunnel and decrease the pressure on the nerve. The two types of this surgery are Open carpal tunnel release In open surgery a small incision in the palm is made and the transverse carpal ligament is divided. This increases the size of the tunnel. After surgery the ligament will grow back together but there will be more space in the carpal tunnel and the pressure on the median nerve will decrease. Endoscopic carpal tunnel syndrome