Have you heard of " Carpal tunnel syndrome "?
. You may be unfamiliar with this noun, but you must be familiar with the most common symptoms it causes: . Hand numbness .
There is a nerve called "center" in the middle of our wrist, which governs the movement and sensation of the human body. Excessive use of the wrist and repetitive movements may press on it and cause numbness in the hands.
" Life Times " (Search for "LT0385" in WeChat to follow) invites experts to interpret the causes of carpal tunnel syndrome and teaches you how to self-test the risk of the disease.
interviewed expert
Chief physician of the Department of Hand Surgery of Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University Chen Lin
Professor of Microtrauma Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Professor of Microtrauma Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Professor of Microscopic Trauma Surgery, Professor of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Professor of Microscopic Trauma Surgery, Professor of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Professor of Microscopic Trauma Surgery, Professor of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University 2 Zhu Qingtang
There is a kind of numbness in the hand called carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome, which is what we often call " mouse hand ", which is a series of symptoms caused by pressure from the median nerve.
clinically mainly manifests in numbness and pain in the thumb, index finger and middle finger of the hand. It feels like a layer of glue or a layer of paper is stuck in the fingers. Sometimes you feel like your fingers are pricked or burned by needles.
In addition to numbness in the hands, the hand strength may also decrease, such as falling when picking up food, and writing and buttoning are not as flexible as before.
In severe cases of lesions, the muscle atrophy of the big orchid muscles (the "chicken leg meat" close to the thumb); when the condition is extremely serious, it may cause the object to be held and cannot be located, and it cannot be taken if it cannot be seen, such as if it is not picked up and it will fall off if it is not seen.
3 stages of the disease: pain → numbness → wood
numbness will start from interruption, such as numbness while riding a bicycle; to wake up at night, shaking hands or resting can relieve it; then numbness will last for 24 hours, and you can't even feel numbness.
At this time, some patients thought it was getting better, but in fact they had lost the "wood". From a medical point of view:
When you feel "pain", we call it "sensitivity".
When you feel "numb", the symptoms have actually worsened, which is called "feeling loss".
When you feel "wood", when you can't see or touch something, it is called "feeling disappears"; if you further deteriorate, muscle atrophy will occur.
It should be noted that numbness of fingers caused by cervical spondylosis is very similar to the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Doctors often distinguish them through wrist ultrasound, cervical X-ray or nuclear magnetic resonance (MRI), electromyography and other examinations.
There is a problem with the wrist, why do your fingers get numb?
Many people have questions: As the name suggests, the root cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is in the carpal tunnel, why does it cause numbness in the fingers?
There is a lumen on the wrist, which consists of bones on the bottom and sides and the transverse wrist ligament on the top.
In this narrow tunnel with a cross-sectional area of only about 3 square centimeters , there are 9 tendons controlling the fingers and a median nerve passing through.
The hyperplasia of the transverse wrist ligament or the displacement of wrist fractures, degeneration and hyperplasia, etc., may lead to narrowing of the carpal tunnel lumen, thereby compressing the median nerve.
Synovial edema, hyperplasia, or tumors in the lumen, gout and other place-occupying lesions, which can also cause compression of the median nerve.
or the median nerve itself may cause sensory and motor dysfunction in the innervation area, causing a series of symptoms such as numbness, pain, and weakness in the fingers.
Carpal tunnel syndrome not only comes to office workers
There are many reasons for carpal tunnel syndrome, the most common one is wrist strain.
Endocrine changes (such as pregnancy, menopause, etc.), wrist fractures or injuries, place-occupying lesions in the carpal tunnel (such as rheumatoid or rheumatoid, gout, etc.) may also cause carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal tunnel syndrome often occurs in people aged 30 to 60, among which the incidence rate of women is 2 to 3 times that of men, and the peak incidence rate occurs between 50 and 59 years old.
Women's wrists are usually smaller than men, and the median nerve of the wrist is more susceptible to compression. For example, if is lactation and is holding a child for a long time, overwork on the wrist may lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
There are also studies that people who repeatedly use wrist work, such as programmers , carpenters, repairmen, drivers, etc., have a higher incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome.
60 seconds self-test risk of disease
If you experience interrupted hand numbness and suspect carpal tunnel syndrome, you can perform self-test through one action.
Lift both upper arms to abduction of the shoulders by 90 degrees, bend the elbow inward by 90 degrees, and both wrists on both sides are 90 degrees toward the back of the hand, or the wrists are 90 degrees toward the palm of the hand.
Maintain this position. If the numbness and worsen of hands within 1 minute, it may be carpal tunnel syndrome.
Let the wrist rest well
If carpal tunnel syndrome is in the early stage, the treatment method is very simple, which is to "brake" to let the wrist rest well silence the wrist.
Do less repetitive actions
Reduce the duration of static actions and reduce the frequency of repetitive actions.
Avoid wrist fatigue and help relieve the condition, otherwise it may further aggravate the compression of the median nerve. In addition, hot compresses, physical therapy, etc. are also helpful.
A little slower when changing the movement
1 The pressure in the carpal tunnel is 100 times the neutral position when the wrist is excessively flexed, and 300 times the neutral position when the wrist is excessively extended.
When suddenly changing movements or postures, you should be slower, and do not twist or lift them violently.
Press the uncomfortable part moderately
Put the tennis ball or massage ball on the inside or outside of the forearm, and press vertically or move back and forth to the uncomfortable part.
30~60 seconds each time, do 2~3 sets.
Actively protect wrist
If you need to use your wrist frequently, consider wearing appropriate protective gear for professional protection measures.
If the numbness of the finger is still not relieved by "braking". Drugs and surgical treatment can be considered. It is recommended to make corresponding adjustments as per the doctor's advice. ▲
Source: Life Times
