Understanding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Hand Pain

These past few months I notice some mild pain in my wrist but I took it for granted thinking it will just pass. Day after day it became a little bit more obvious but still I didn’t take any actions to ease the pain. Going to the doctor is never an option because I hate the idea of spending some doctor’s fee just to know that in the end all you need is a mild pain reliever, until one day I was carrying my 6 month old grandchild and I nearly dropped him! This alarmed me a lot. A simple joint pain in my handscould have hurt my son. I went to the doctor immediately and after some diagnostic exams he told me that my swollen joint caused was caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. He told me I was lucky because it’s just in its early stage so, as expected, he just gave me some anti inflammatory drugs.

I’m not really into medical terms so I immediately searched some easy understanding of this condition. After reading so many articles and looking at different anatomical pictures of the hand I began to understand the what, why, and how of carpal tunnel syndrome.

To make it simple, carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition wherein the median nerve that is responsible for the flow of sensation in the hand is blocked. This can be due to a swollen joint caused by a simple wear and tear or other conditions like arthritis. Repetitive motions that damage the surrounding muscles, joints, and ligaments can also press the median nerve and hinders its proper function. Joint pain hands symptoms are common.

Pain is felt when something is damaged in our system. Our body releases chemical compounds to guard the injured area from further usage and these chemicals caused the pain. A swollen joint will automatically activate the body’s immune system to send its first line of defense to fix the problem. Sometimes if swollen joints are used, the unwanted friction between them will activate the chemicals to send signal to the brain and in return the brain interpret it as pain. Since the median nerve cannot function properly, numbness in the hand is commonly felt. This will result in difficulty in gripping, and sometimes muscle wasting if the hands are immobilized for a long time.

Doctors usually give anti-inflammatory or pain medicines to minimize hand joint pains and ease inflammation. There are also effective herbal anti inflammatory treatments available. Hand exercises and resting may also relax the dislocated nerve and put it back in place. In worst conditions, a carpal tunnel surgery is needed to fix everything. In most cases when another disease causes it, correcting the primary cause is essential before treating the carpal tunnel syndrome to prevent recurrence.

This simple information about the pain I experienced taught me a very big lesson. Mild hand joint pains should not be taken mildly because where there is pain there is danger.