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Common Warning Signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Several factors can cause carpal tunnel to develop in the hand. Often the main causes include genetic pre-dispositions, severe or even minor injuries, as well as the repetitive use of the hands. This will lead to serious pain and discomfort, which can impact your daily life, your ability to work and the freedom to do the activities you, enjoy and love. Here are a few of the most common signs of carpal tunnel so that you can get treatment as soon as possible.

  1. Often people who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome will experience strange sensations in their fingers and hands. Often these new, unfamiliar sensations include feelings of swelling in the fingers or it may seem like your fingers as very full and stiff.
  2. Another common symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome is the feeling of pain. This will usually continue from your hand all the way up your arm and could signal that you need to have your hand and arm checked out by a professional to determine if carpal tunnel is the cause of this discomfort, since other issues could be at work.
  3. If you think you may have carpal tunnel, be extra observant of your symptoms in the evening and before you go to bed at night. Often towards the evening hours, any pain tingling or numbness you are having will be emphasized and may even worsen. The affected hand may get warmer as well.
  4. Typically, individuals with carpal tunnel may also experience a weakness of the hand. This can make it very difficult to do daily activities such as typing or writing, picking up objects, or holding items. Athletes will especially notice this change in hand strength if they play a sport like tennis, which requires mobility and strength in the hand, wrist and arm region.
  5. Finally, the muscles in the hand may not only feel weaker but they may actually become smaller. Specifically the muscles at the base of the thumb will weakness significantly and decrease in size substantially causing noticeable changes.

While these symptoms and common warning signs are not necessarily evidence that you have carpal tunnel, if you are experiencing these changes and sensations in your hand or arm, you may want to look into the possibility of carpal tunnel as the cause. People with carpal tunnel may experience all or some of the previously listed symptoms including full or swollen feeling in the fingers, pain from the hand all the way up the arm, pain, tingling and numbness especially in the evening, weakness in the hand, and lack of muscle tone at the base of the thumb. Always consult a physician from a center like the Coral Springs Surgical Center, in order to find out what the source of your symptoms is so that you can care for the issue appropriately and get the right treatment for your needs. Finding the right doctor and treatment plan can help you deal with pain management and eventually regina mobility and quality of your hand.