Can you get carpal tunnel in your fingers

A steroid injection will be helpful in most cases, although the effect may wear off after weeks or months. A small amount of steroid is injected into the carpal tunnel, which helps to reduce any swelling. A steroid injection into the wrist joint itself may help if you have arthritis in your wrist. The injection might feel uncomfortable at the time, but it can be very helpful in treating carpal tunnel syndrome.

If the steroid injection is helpful but your symptoms return later, your doctor might repeat the injection. But repeated injections can become less effective or cause skin changes so they might not always be given. The surgery, known as carpal tunnel release or decompression surgery relieves pain by reducing the pressure on median nerve.

Surgery usually takes place as a day case. The operation is normally carried out under a local anaesthetic and may be done by conventional open surgery or by keyhole surgery.

Your surgeon will be able to tell you which is most suitable for you. Following the operation, you might need to wear a bandage on your hand and wrist for a few days. You may be able to start gentle exercises on the same day as your operation. Sometimes, the operation may not bring a complete recovery, especially if you have muscle wasting or loss of sensation in your hand but it should greatly reduce your pain.

If you feel there has been no improvement in your symptoms in the first six weeks after your operation, you should speak to your surgeon. For most people surgery is very successful. But as with all operations, there is a small risk of complications, which may include infection, nerve damage or scarring.

On rare occasions, the pain may continue, or it may return some time after the operation, even if it had seemed successful at first. Learn more about physiotherapy and arthritis, how it can help improve your mobility, ease pain and strengthen your joints. No particular diet has been shown to help relieve or prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.

However, a healthy balanced diet and regular exercise are important for your general health. If you think your work may be causing your symptoms you should discuss this with your supervisor or an occupational health nurse.

Read more about work and arthritis. Workplace factors may contribute to existing pressure on or damage to the median nerve. The risk of developing CTS is not confined to people in a single industry or job, but may be more reported in those performing assembly line work—such as manufacturing, sewing, finishing, cleaning, and meatpacking—than it is among data-entry personnel.

Treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome should begin as early as possible, under a doctor's direction. Underlying causes such as diabetes or arthritis should be treated first.

Carpal tunnel release is one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States. Generally, surgery involves severing a ligament around the wrist to reduce pressure on the median nerve. Surgery is usually done under local or regional anesthesia involving some sedation and does not require an overnight hospital stay. Many people require surgery on both hands.

While all carpal tunnel surgery involves cutting the ligament to relieve the pressure on the nerve, there are two different methods used by surgeons to accomplish this.

Recurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome following treatment is rare. Less than half of individuals report their hand s feeling completely normal following surgery.

Some residual numbness or weakness is common.. At the workplace, workers can do on-the-job conditioning, perform stretching exercises, take frequent rest breaks, and use correct posture and wrist position. Wearing fingerless gloves can help keep hands warm and flexible. Jobs can be rotated among workers. Employers can develop programs in ergonomics, the process of adapting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of workers. However, research has not conclusively shown that these workplace changes prevent the occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome.

The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge of the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.

Scientists supported by the NINDS are studying the factors that lead to long-lasting neuropathies, and how the affected nerves are related to symptoms of pain, numbness, and functional loss. A wrist fracture can narrow the carpal tunnel and irritate the nerve, as can the swelling and inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

Many times, there is no single cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. It may be that a combination of risk factors contributes to the development of the condition. A number of factors have been associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. Although they may not directly cause carpal tunnel syndrome, they may increase the risk of irritation or damage to the median nerve. These include:. Anatomic factors. A wrist fracture or dislocation, or arthritis that deforms the small bones in the wrist, can alter the space within the carpal tunnel and put pressure on the median nerve.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is generally more common in women. This may be because the carpal tunnel area is relatively smaller in women than in men. Women who have carpal tunnel syndrome may also have smaller carpal tunnels than women who don't have the condition.

Workplace factors. Working with vibrating tools or on an assembly line that requires prolonged or repetitive flexing of the wrist may create harmful pressure on the median nerve or worsen existing nerve damage, especially if the work is done in a cold environment.

However, the scientific evidence is conflicting and these factors haven't been established as direct causes of carpal tunnel syndrome. Several studies have evaluated whether there is an association between computer use and carpal tunnel syndrome. Some evidence suggests that it is mouse use, and not the use of a keyboard, that may be the problem. However, there has not been enough quality and consistent evidence to support extensive computer use as a risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome, although it may cause a different form of hand pain.

There are no proven strategies to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, but you can minimize stress on your hands and wrists with these methods:.

Carpal tunnel syndrome care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve.