Contrary to what you may believe, carpal tunnel syndrome can affect both your hands and both your wrists. Essentially, people who are required to perform repetitive tasks with their hands are at most risk of developing this condition. In fact, according to statistics, approximately 5% of the American population suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome. Interestingly enough however, statistics reveal that women are more at risk than men, although men can also succumb to the condition. If you have any reason to believe that you may be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, then you should make every effort to familiarize yourself with the condition, including symptoms, treatment, and etc.

Whenever the median nerve in your wrist is subjected to excessive pressure, carpal tunnel syndrome develops. There are several bones in your wrist where the median nerve passes through, and if ligaments and tendons in the area become inflamed, the median nerve can end up being subjected to pressure. When this happens, symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome will be experienced.

The pain which results from carpal tunnel syndrome can manifest itself in your wrists, the palms of your hands, your forearms, elbows, and even your shoulders. Bear in mind however that although pain is almost always present with the condition, sufferers can also experience numbness in the hands and fingers. In fact, many people who to suffer from this condition report feeling a tingling sensation in the fingers, hands, and wrists. Once the condition has surfaced, the pain you experience will become progressively worse as you continue to use your hands and fingers. Interestingly enough, the pain is often at its worst at night when you’re no longer using your fingers and hands.

All is not doom and gloom however because there are several treatment options available for people suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, and in most cases the condition can be treated by means of non-surgical treatments. Because the vast majority of people would rather avoid surgery, they usually begin treatment by using ice packs in order to reduce swelling. Sufferers can also use special wrist splints, in addition to taking NSAIDs for the relief of pain and inflammation.

Of course, there are some times when conservative treatment options fail and more aggressive treatments may be needed. Surgery is considered an aggressive treatment and it is not used unless the problem with carpal tunnel is especially serious. If you have already tried some of the other treatments and you are still having the carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms, then your doctor may recommend that you try the surgery to help deal with this problem. For many patients surgery is finally the way that they are able to get rid of the symptoms that they are dealing with.

Tom Nicholson has spent years helping sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. You can click here for how he relieves carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.