Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Treatment

Carpal tunnel, also know as Median Nerve Dysfunction and Median Nerve Entrapment, is when pressure is on the median nerve. The median nerve is the nerve in the wrist that supplies feeling and movement to parts of the hand. When pressure is applied to the nerve, it can lead to numbness, tingling, weakness, and even muscle damage in the hand and fingers.
Treatment can be simple, by wearing a wrist splint at night while sleeping, or even during the day for a few weeks. Avoiding sleeping on the hands also helps, as well as hot/cold compresses. A more serious approach are anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen, as well corticosteroid injections. The most vigorous approach, however, is surgery. The surgery is called carpal tunnel release, and is proceeded by cutting the ligament that presses on the nerve. This surgery is usually successful, but it really depends on how long you have had carpal tunnel syndrome.