Carpal tunnel syndrome: is there anything else it could be?

Carpal tunnel syndrome: is there anything else it could be?

There are other conditions that cause tingling in the fingers, and these need be ruled out by your hand surgeon at a face to face consultation.  Sometimes you can have pressure on the median nerve (the nerve that supplies sensation to the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers) coming from higher up, including the cervical spine, the neck and around the collarbone, and just downstream from the elbow.  If this is the case, then different treatments might be recommended.  However, carpal tunnel syndrome often co-exists with these conditions, known as Double Crush Phenomenon.  When that happens, there is still value is doing carpal tunnel decompression surgery, but the results might not be as good as if the nerve wasn't also being squashed at other sites.

 

Sometimes it is difficult for patients to know exactly which fingers are tingling when they wake up in the middle of the night.  If there is tingling in the little finger this is usually from compression of a different nerve: the Ulnar Nerve.  The ulnar nerve is most commonly squashed around the elbow, but it can be squashed in the hand aswell (especially in cyclists).

 

The key to successful treatment is accurate diagnosis.  In the clinic Mr Wharton takes a lot of time to examine all of the nerves to the hand, to make sure that if treatment is recommended, this is going to work.

 

More info:

https://rupertwharton.com/pages/carpal-tunnel

 

For appointments:

https://rupertwharton.com/pages/contact

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