What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that causes tingling, numbness, weakness, and pain in the hand, wrist, or even the arm. The carpal tunnel is a narrow and rigid passageway in the wrist that houses the median nerve and tendons. The median nerve runs from the forearm into the palm of the hand and provides sensation to the thumb and fingers (except the pinky). Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when there’s swelling or inflammation in the carpal tunnel that compresses the median nerve.
What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
In addition to hypothyroidism, there are several other risk factors that may lead to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. The condition is often a result of a combination of risk factors, which include:
- Family history In some people, the carpal tunnel may be smaller, leaving less room for the median nerve, and this can run in families, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS).
- Sex Women are three times more likely than men to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, likely because their carpal tunnel area is generally smaller, according to the NINDS.
- Structural damage to the wrist Trauma or injury to the wrist, such as a sprain or fracture, can lead to swelling.
- Pregnancy Hormonal changes and fluid retention in pregnancy can cause swelling, which can increase pressure inside the carpal tunnel, according to the AAOS.
- Obesity According to the Mayo Clinic and research, such as a study published in July 2017 in the journal Cureus, weight gain is associated with a higher risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, possibly due to increased fluid accumulation in the tissue spaces in the carpal tunnel.
Health conditions that increase risk of nerve damage Certain health conditions, such as diabetes, are associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, according to the AAOS.
Inflammatory conditions Illnesses that lead to inflammation in your body can affect the lining around the tendons and put pressure on your median nerve.
Repetitive hand motion Doing activities that involve repeatedly moving your hand and wrist the same way or working with vibrating tools over a prolonged period of time may aggravate the tendons in the wrist, cause swelling, and put pressure on the nerve in the carpal tunnel.
Carpal tunnel syndrome can get worse over time, so early diagnosis and treatment is important to prevent permanent nerve damage. If you have hypothyroidism and experience numbness or pain in your hands, you should be examined by a hand surgeon
How Is Hypothyroidism Connected to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
While doctors don’t yet fully understand how hypothyroidism and carpal tunnel syndrome are linked, it’s known that hypothyroidism can lead to fluid retention. That can lead to swelling in tissues and put pressure on peripheral nerves, such as the median nerve in the carpal tunnel, according to the National Academy of Hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is a hormonal disease that affects all the nerves in the body And since hormone levels fluctuate throughout the day, nerves are susceptible to compression to varying degrees during the day and night, he says.
It should be noted that not everyone with inflammatory or thyroid disease will develop carpal tunnel syndrome, but having these conditions may make you more susceptible to pressure being put on your nerves, says Szabo.
While hypothyroidism is only one of numerous possible causes of carpal tunnel syndrome, your doctor should nevertheless screen for it, as well as other associated conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and diabetes. If you have numbness or tingling in your hands, a good doctor will ask you if you have thyroid disease.
In uncontrolled hypothyroidism it may also be caused by swelling of the synovial membrane around the tendons in carpal tunnel . Symptoms of CTS are seen in patients of hypothyroidism while they are on thyroid hormone replacement therapy or even when they are euthyroid .
Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
If your carpal tunnel syndrome is mild or at an early stage, your doctor may recommend wearing a wrist splint at night to relieve symptoms. They may also advise avoiding certain activities or prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, or steroids, administered as an oral medication or injections.
You can also talk to your doctor about complementary therapies like yoga and acupuncture, although the effectiveness of these treatments has not been proved. According to the NINDS, yoga has been shown to reduce pain and improve hand strength in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, and some people have reported symptom relief with acupuncture and chiropractic care.
If your symptoms do not improve with these measures or your carpal tunnel syndrome is severe, your doctor may recommend surgery to relieve pressure on your median nerve by cutting the ligament that forms the roof of the carpal tunnel to increase the size of the tunnel, according to the AAOS.
In addition, you can help ease your carpal tunnel symptoms by treating your hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism treatment typically involves taking daily doses of the synthetic thyroid hormone levothyroxine, which works to restore hormone levels and reverse the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism.
References
https://www.everydayhealth.com/hypothyroidism/hypothyroidism-and-carpal-tunnel-syndrome/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4800566/#:~:text=In%20uncontrolled%20hypothyroidism%20it%20may,they%20are%20euthyroid%20%5B13%5D.
