Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs commonly due to repetitive motion. Patient come to the clinic complaining of numbness and tingling in the thumb and index fingers or pain in the hand. If severe patient can have decreased grip strength. Numbness, tingling, or weakness in extremities are not always related to carpal tunnel syndrome. An EMG is the gold standard when diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome.
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Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the ligament surrounding the medial nerve is inflamed. This puts pressure on the nerve causing numbness and tingling. An EMG will determine the degree of compression: mild, moderate, or severe. Treatment varies depending on the severity of the compression. Mild-moderate cases require conservative treatment such as bracing and more severe symptoms require surgery for symptoms to improve. For my patients, I do not typically recommend steroid injections as they are painful and give minimal to little relief.
