Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition in which the squeezing or compressing of a nerve that passes through the wrist results in numbness, tingling, weakness, or pain in one or both hands. The hands may become so weakened that opening jars or grasping objects becomes difficult and painful.
The carpal tunnel is a space formed by the carpal (wrist) bones and the carpal ligament (a connective tissue that attaches bone to bone). Through this space pass the median nerve and tendons of the fingers and thumb. (The median nerve runs from the neck through the middle of the arm to the fingers. Tendons are connective tissue that attach muscle to bone.) When the tendons within the carpal tunnel become inflamed, they swell and press on the median nerve.
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