Among people who have pain, numbness, and tingling in their hands, 1 in 5 may have carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome affects approximately 2% to 3% of the general population.

What is carpal tunnel syndrome? Carpal tunnel syndrome is a specific group of symptoms that can include tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain in the fingers, thumb, hand, and occasionally in the arm.

Health tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. Decision Points focus on key medical care decisions that are important to many health problems. Should I have surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome?

Learn about carpal tunnel syndrome and what causes it.

The most common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain of the fingers or, less commonly, the palm. Symptoms most often occur in the parts of the hand supplied by the median nerve: the thumb, index finger, middle finge

The tingling, numbness, and pain of carpal tunnel syndrome usually develop gradually. Symptoms often get worse if you do not stop or change an activity that is helping to cause the condition.

Carpal tunnel syndrome can result from any combination of health conditions and physical activities that increase pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the wrist.

Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain in your fingers or hand that has not gone away after 2 weeks of home treatment.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is usually diagnosed from the results of a medical history, hand diagram, and physican examination.

Treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome is based on the seriousness of the condition, whether there is any nerve damage, and whether other treatment has helped.

Because carpal tunnel syndrome is usually caused by multiple factors-including health conditions and activities, the most important step in preventing it is to take good care of your general health.

Home treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome: Can ease pain and prevent further or permanent damage to your median nerve. May completely relieve your symptoms if you start treatment when symptoms first occur.

Medication is often used to treat symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Medication may relieve swelling, inflammation, and pain in the wrist or hand.

Most people with carpal tunnel syndrome are treated without surgery. Surgery is considered only when: Symptoms have not improved after a long period of nonsurgical treatment.

Other treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome include: Physical therapy techniques, such as ultrasound, hydrotherapy, and stretching and range - of - motion exercises. Ultrasound therapy uses high - pitched sound waves to create heat, which may help decreas

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