| CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME |
| HOW IS IT TREATED? |
| If you have a disease that is causing carpal tunnel syndrome (such as rheumatoid arthritis), treatment of the disease may relieve your symptoms. Other treatment focuses on relieving irritation and pressure on the nerve in your wrist. To relieve pressure, your doctor may suggest: |
| - restricting use of your hand, or changing the way you use it |
| - wearing a wrist splint during sleep and physical activity involving the wrist |
| - exercises |
| Your doctor may prescribe a cortisonelike medicine or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine, such as ibuprofen. Your doctor may recommend an injection of a cortisonelike medicine into the carpal tunnel area. In some cases, surgery may be necessary. |
| HOW LONG WILL THE EFFECTS LAST? |
| How long the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome last depends on the cause and your response to treatment. Sometimes the symptoms disappear without any treatment, or they may be relieved by nonsurgical treatment. Surgery may be necessary to relieve the symptoms if they do not respond to treatment or if symptoms get worse. Surgery usually relieves the symptoms, especially if there is no permanent damage to the nerve. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome that occur during pregnancy usually disappear following delivery. |
| HOW CAN I TAKE CARE OF MYSELF |
| Follow your doctor's recommendations. Also, try the following: |
| - elevate your arm with pillows when you lie down |
| - avoid activities that overuse your hand |
| - find a different way to use your hand by using another tool, or try to use the other hand |
| - avoid bending your wrists down for long periods |
| WHEN CAN I RETURN TO MY SPORT OR ACTIVITY? |
| The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury, which could lead to permanent damage. Everyone recovers from injury at a different rate. Return to your sport or activity will be determined by how soon your wrist recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since the injury occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better. |
| You may return to your sport or activity when you are able to painlessly grip objects like a tennis racquet, baseball bat, golf club, or bicycle handlebars. In sports such as gymnastics, it is important that you can bear weight on your wrist without pain. You must have full range of motion and strength of your wrist. |
| WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP PREVENT CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME? |
| If you do very repetitive work with your hands, make sure that your hands and wrists are comfortable when you are using them. Take regular breaks from the repetitive motion. Avoid resting your wrists on hard or ridged surfaces for prolonged periods. |
| If you have a disease that is associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, effective treatment of the disease might help prevent this condition.In some cases, the cause is unknown and carpal tunnel syndrome cannot be prevented. |
