Common Pain You Should Never Ignore in Vacaville

If you ignore the signs of carpal tunnel syndrome in Vacaville, it could cause permanent damage to your hand.

The hand is a useful tool because of its clever engineering. However, just like any other tool, it comes with one design flaw: the tendons controlling the fingers pass through a narrow tube in the cleft of the hand known as the carpal tunnel.

The median nerve controlling all the fingers except the pinky is also squeezed into that narrow tube. Once there is inflammation or swelling, it puts pressure on the vital nerve.

Carpal tunnel is the kind of injury that could put you in for long days of absences from the workplace. Even doctors have no idea on what really causes it.

Diseases like diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis are known for increasing a person's risk of getting carpal tunnel syndrome. Women are more likely to develop this disease than men probably because their hands are much smaller, which means that their carpal tunnel is narrower. Being pregnant may further increase the risk as well.

Doing high-impact, repetitive movements involving extreme flexion of the hand can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. The first ones to develop this crippling condition were the workers in slaughterhouses who carve meat off the bones of animal carcasses.

Some people believe that even low-impact repetitive movements like typing can also trigger the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. However, not many doctors agree on this claim.

Signs of carpal tunnel in Vacaville

When someone is suffering from this condition, the signs are clear: pain, numbness, or weakness, particularly in the 3 large fingers and the thumb, which are all under the control of the median nerve.

The most common treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome is to wear a simple wrist-brace at night. Applying some ice may also provide some relief. If ever these symptoms don't go away after a couple of weeks, you need to see your doctor to find out what's the best course of treatment for your situation.

But once all of these other measures don't work, surgery can become an option. An estimate of half a million people each year undergo a procedure to sever the band of tissue that holds the carpal tunnel closed. This reduces pressure on the median nerve.

This can become alarming for some people especially if it disrupts their sleep almost every single day. Not only will they have sleepless nights but it can surely affect their daily performance. So, as soon as you feel like something isn't right with your hands, take action right away. Or you can get in touch with an expert like Dr. Alex Tam of Absolute Integrative Physical Medicine. He can help with your condition and provide appropriate treatment for it. Just go dial (707) 474-5688 to set up an appointment.