Hand and Wrist

Carpal tunnel syndrome affects up to 6% of adults in the U.S. today. If wrist and hand tingling, numbness, and pain turn ordinary movements into impossible exercises, it’s time to visit Advocare South Jersey Orthopedic Associates for help. To learn about carpal tunnel treatments, call the Voorhees or Turnersville, New Jersey, office or request an appointment online.

WHAT IS CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME?

Carpal tunnel syndrome means that the carpal tunnel — the narrow tunnel of bones and ligaments on the palm side of your wrist — squeezes your median nerve.

Your median nerve provides sensation and movement signals to your fingers, so this nerve compression causes discomfort and other symptoms collectively called carpal tunnel syndrome.

WHAT CAUSES CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME?

The carpal tunnel is very small, so any changes in the soft tissues in and around the tunnel can lead to median nerve pressure that causes carpal tunnel syndrome. For example, the lining of your carpal tunnel (synovium) may grow inflamed and start to swell to reduce space for your median nerve.

You're more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome if you regularly flex and extend your hand and wrist tendons, particularly over long periods of time. This can include typing on a computer keyboard and other repetitive motions.

You may also be prone to carpal tunnel syndrome if you have a naturally small carpal tunnel due to genetics. Certain health problems, including rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and hormone imbalance, can contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome development.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME?

Carpal tunnel syndrome can cause symptoms in your wrist, hand, and fingers, including:

• Pain
• Numbness
• Burning
• Tingling
• Weakness
• Clumsiness

Pain or tingling may sometimes radiate, moving up your forearm at times. Usually, carpal tunnel syndrome starts with sporadic symptoms that increase over time.

HOW IS CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME TREATED?

Advocare South Jersey Orthopedic Associates offers a variety of carpal tunnel syndrome treatments to address any stage of the condition.

For milder cases, nonoperative care can be very effective. Treatment protocols can include wearing a wrist brace, modifying your activities, taking anti-inflammatory medications, performing special nerve-gliding hand exercises, and receiving injections to reduce inflammation.

If you have advanced carpal tunnel syndrome that causes major problems like profound weakness or muscle wasting, you could need carpal tunnel surgery.

A surgical procedure like carpal tunnel release can expand your carpal tunnel to relieve the median nerve compression. This can relieve your symptoms. Carpal tunnel release can help you avoid the permanent nerve damage that could occur with prolonged median nerve compression.

Suffering from hand and wrist symptoms? Advocare South Jersey Orthopedic Associates offers the best in carpal tunnel solutions, so call the office nearest you or request an appointment online now.

You need your hands for countless actions every day, from brushing your teeth to getting dressed and using your phone. Hand pain can put a serious crimp in your daily life — and, if untreated, it could become disabling. At Advocare South Jersey Orthopedic Associates in Voorhees and Turnersville, New Jersey, a premier group of orthopedic surgeons offers innovative treatments for hand pain, allowing you to get back to moving without worry. 

WHAT SYMPTOMS GO ALONG WITH HAND PAIN?

In many cases, hand pain is just one aspect of an underlying issue. Along with the hand pain, it's quite common to have pain in your wrist. In conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, you might even experience hand pain that radiates to your elbow.

Other symptoms that can accompany hand pain may include numbness, tingling, burning, weakness, and clumsiness. Your specific symptoms vary based on the kind of damage your condition causes. Hand pain may affect the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other tissues in your hand. Each type of tissue may have different symptoms.

WHAT CAUSES HAND PAIN?

There are many different possible reasons you could have hand pain, with some common reasons being:

• Arthritis
• Fractures
• Tendinitis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Ganglion cysts

Each type of hand pain can take varying forms, as well. For example, several different types of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, can affect your hands.

HOW IS HAND PAIN DIAGNOSED?

At Advocare South Jersey Orthopedic Associates, hand pain diagnosis includes a comprehensive hand, finger, and wrist exam along with special tests according to your suspected condition.

For example, if your doctor suspects a fracture or arthritis, or needs to rule out bone damage, you'll have digital X-rays in the office. Other tests may include nerve conduction testing, muscle function tests, ultrasound, or needle aspiration.

HOW IS HAND PAIN TREATED?

Hand pain treatment usually involves conservative measures at first. Some of the most common conservative approaches can include:

• Bracing
• Casting (Gore-Tex® waterproof cast padding available)
• Special exercises
• Habit changes
• Corticosteroid injections
• Regenerative medicine (stem cells, PRP therapy)

Conservative care works quite effectively for many conditions that cause hand pain. But, if you have complex or severe hand damage, you could need surgery. In some cases, as with chronic carpal tunnel syndrome, your doctor may recommend surgery to lessen the pressure on your median nerve and therefore prevent permanent nerve damage.

Advocare South Jersey Orthopedic Associates performs minimally invasive arthroscopic hand surgery whenever possible. Arthroscopy requires only very small incisions and is usually an outpatient procedure.

Advocare South Jersey Orthopedic Associates is here to help with hand pain and all the problems it brings with it. Call the office in your area or request an appointment on our website to set up your consultation with an experienced orthopedic surgeon now.