Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Basics Atlanta GA

Recognizing symptoms. Some of the early warning indicators which point to CPS are pain when you continuously use your hand and wrist, numbness or a tingling sensation in the thumb, index and middle fingers, general weakness of the thumb, pain in the wrist or forearm or trouble when trying to hold or grip objects.

Diagnosing CPS. Visit your doctor if the pain and numbness continue for long periods. Testing for CPS can be done in any or all of these ways: (i) tapping the inside of the wrist and you feel a tingling or electric shock-like sensation; (ii) bending the wrist downwards for holding still for about a minute to check if there is pain; and (iii) conducting a nerve test or electromyography (EMG) to check out the muscles and nerves and find out whether their status is indicative of CPS.

Treating CPS. Depending on the cause of CPS, doctors will prescribe the appropriate treatment. If CPS is caused on account of a medical condition such as diabetes or rheumatism or arthritis, the solution is to alleviate or cure these problems. If CPS is due to RSI caused by the specific nature of your work, the treatment will be frequent resting of the hand, changing the way the hand is used, wearing a splint so that the wrist is immobilized but the hand and fingers remain free to use, using ice, a massage or various stretching exercises.

Relieving the pain. If you have pain, some of the ways you can reduce or relieve CPS are avoid using the affected hand or wrist, use the hand in a different way to do the same task, don't bend your wrists continuously over long periods, try and use both hands to carry out your task rather than just one. Medical assistance could be by way of prescribed painkillers or a shot of cortisone, but with the latter, the relief is only temporary....

Click here to read the rest of the article at HowToDoThings.com

Author: Garrett Nielsen