Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (Healing Hands): A Comprerhensive Review

This condition has emerged as one of the most common peripheral neuropathies secondary to median nerve compression within the carpal tunnel-an anatomical passageway of the wrist. Carpal tunnel syndrome most frequently presents with pain, numbness, and paresthesias over the hand area innervated by the median nerve. Most studies reporting on epidemiological analyses document an incidence rate between 1–5% of the population, and among females, it tends to predominate especially in obese populations. It occurs most commonly in the 40–60 age range and with a ratio of females to males of 3:1. Common etiologies are flexor tenosynovitis, diabetes, pregnancy, hypothyroidism, and arthritis, among many intrinsic, extrinsic, and neuropathic causes. The clinical tests, along with Tinel’s test and Phalen’s, are aided by nerve conduction studies and the Levine Questionnaire in assessing symptoms and can thus lead to a diagnosis for CTS. Treatment plans are both non-operative management and operative treatments, which have evolved into various endoscopic as well as minimally invasive surgical operations. Only advances in diagnosis and treatment could help to ameliorate these concerns, whereas deeper roots plague long-term management.