If you are ever typing on a keyboard or playing a video game and you feel numbness, tingling, weakness, or pain in your wrist or hand, you could have carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS.  CTS is a common neurological disorder that happens when the median nerve is pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve runs from your forearm into the palm of the hand and provides feeling and moving to your thumb and first three fingers. 

It’s not known what causes CTS, but women are three times more likely to get it than men and it only happens to adults. It’s believed that it is a combination of things that impact the structure of the wrist such as an injury or a condition that affects the nerves, joints, and other parts of the wrist like diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. According to the Rheumatology Research Foundation between 4 and 10 million people are impacted by CTS.

BreAnne Gendron, an advanced practice registered nurse or APRN with OSF Healthcare, says that sometimes it can be genetic.

Repetitive movement with your hand or wrist such as what happens when you golf, garden, knit or work on an assembly line can aggravate the injury.  Gendron says sleeping on a bent wrist can also lead to CTS.

Gendron also recommends starting treatment as soon as possible.  This may include rest and medicine to reduce swelling and pain.  She says if you symptoms are quite severe surgery may be the best option.  CTS surgery is the second most common type of surgery with more than 230,000 procedures done each year. Recovery takes two to three weeks but can take longer.

While nothing can be done to prevent carpal tunnel, there are ways to limit the damage including using good posture, taking breaks from work, and changing your routine.

For more information on CTS and how to treat it, talk to your primary care physician.