You need properly functioning wrist joints to handle activities essential to your daily life: on the job or during hobbies and leisure time.
Maybe you work at a computer and need to be able to type and operate track pads as you send emails and create programs or files. Or, maybe you work in construction, using heavy tools that vibrate and are harder to hold. Athletes in sports like tennis repeatedly put stress on their hands and wrists.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common hand and wrist injury related to repetitive stress and overuse, and it can leave you in pain as well as cramp your productivity.
At the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Dr. Michael Blackwell diagnoses and treats cases of carpal tunnel syndrome. If you have warning signs of this condition, consult Dr. Blackwell at his locations in Tomball, Kingwood, and The Woodlands, Texas.
That’s the best way to learn what you should do to prevent your carpal tunnel problems from worsening and then requiring more substantial intervention.
The carpal tunnel is a narrow area of your wrist. Several tendons pass through this area, as does the median nerve, a significant nerve that connects your shoulder to the side of your hand. The carpal tunnel also contains wrist bones.
If this area of your wrist becomes inflamed, the ligament in your carpal tunnel can thicken. Swelling can put pressure on nerves, resulting in pain, tingling, weakness, and lack of usability.
Further, if this inflammation turns chronic, you may need increasingly intensive and time-consuming intervention to address the issue and restore full, comfortable use of your hand, wrist, and forearm.
Carpal tunnel often worsens at night. Without treatment, your symptoms are likely to get progressively worse over time.
Preventing carpal tunnel syndrome is your best bet for maintaining your productivity over time. Some changes that can help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome include:
A few adjustments to your daily routine now could save you significant stress down the road.
If you have carpal tunnel problems, Dr. Blackwell and the team at the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine can help. He can also talk to you about carpal tunnel syndrome prevention.
Dr. Blackwell may recommend that you use a splint at night to keep your wrist in a straight position. He can suggest targeted exercises or prescribe anti-inflammatory medications to help. In severe cases, carpal tunnel syndrome may require surgery.
For the support you need to deal with carpal tunnel problems and not lose productivity, contact Dr. Blackwell today. Schedule your initial consultation by booking online or over the phone, and learn what you can do to address carpal tunnel syndrome.
