Carpal tunnel syndrome is usually thought to be the result of repetitive movements such as typing, but in reality, it is caused by work stress, mechanical problems or trauma or injury to the wrist which can result from things such as severe auto accidents. Working with the victims of Kent auto accidents, I have seen many cases where a severe auto accident causes significant problems to the wrist.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is an injury caused by compression of the small nerve traveling through the carpal tunnel, which is a thin nerve canal in the wrist. Because of how thin the carpel tunnel is, a slight irritation can cause it to swell just enough to compress the nerve and cause irritation. An auto accident is an easy way to irritate this nerve canal when the driver, braces for the impact. The impact can easily jolt and manipulate the wrist enough to damage the carpal tunnel canal – causing pressure on the nerve inside. Injury to the nerve can also occur if any hand or wrist bones are broken during the accident.
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Carpal tunnel has several different symptoms which vary depending on the severity and the individual. A tingling sensation, like when your foot falls asleep is very common along with numbness, or pain in the fingers and hand. Carpal tunnel can also have an effect on the victims ability to grip objects. There are non-invasive treatments which doctors use first in an attempt to treat the problem, these include: medication and physical therapy exercises, if these methods do not help surgery is used as a last resort. In the surgery the carpal ligament is cut so the surgeon may examine the tendons beneath- in some cases tendon will be cut and thinned out to give the medial nerve space and reduce the pressure.