Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Guided Injections.
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) develops when the median nerve is compressed or irritated. This nerve travels alongside multiple tendons through a narrow passageway in your wrist called the carpal tunnel. This nerve can be compressed or irritated with repetitive movements/overuse during pregnancy due to increased fluid retention and when a nearby tendon is dysfunctional. (Yang et al., 2024)
What are the common symptoms of this?
Pain around the wrist is often accompanied by numbness, tingling, and pins-and-needles sensations in the wrist, hand, fingers, and arm. These symptoms may worsen at night, depending on the position of your wrist while sleeping. You may also notice difficulty with activities involving sustained positions of the wrist, using a mouse or typing for long periods, gripping, fine motor tasks, operating power tools, etc. (Jimenez-del-Barrio et al., 2022)
How is this diagnosed?
To assess your condition, your physiotherapist will ask about your symptoms and conduct a physical examination, looking for the following:
- Any signs of pain, tenderness, swelling
- Weakness with grip/other fine motor tasks
- Muscle atrophy
- Nerve-like symptoms, including numbness, tingling, pins/needles
- Pain with stretch and compression of the nerve
Treatment options
Guided Corticosteroid Injections
For persistent pain, corticosteroid injections may be recommended to reduce inflammation and provide short-term relief.
Your Clinician
BSc Physiotherapy MSCP (Hons)
PGCert Independent Medical Prescriber
PGCert Soft Tissue and Joint Injection Therapist
PGCert Diagnostic Ultrasound
Yang, F. A., Wang, H. Y., Kuo, T. Y., Peng, C. W., Liou, T. H., Escorpizo, R., & Chen, H. C. (2024). Injection therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Plos one, 19(5), e0303537.
Jiménez-del-Barrio, S., Cadellans-Arróniz, A., Ceballos-Laita, L., Estébanez-de-Miguel, E., López-de-Celis, C., Bueno-Gracia, E., & Pérez-Bellmunt, A. (2022). The effectiveness of manual therapy on pain, physical function, and nerve conduction studies in carpal tunnel syndrome patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International orthopaedics, 46(2), 301-312.