Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - A Secondary Effect | A Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Article

Main Article Categories

"Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" Article
Article Directory Home

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - A Secondary Effect By Expert Author: Jeff P. Anliker, LMT
View Summary \| Submitted: 2006-03-07 \| Word Count: 471 words

What causes carpal tunnel syndrome to develop? Although there are many professional opinions out there regarding the subject, most do not provide an accurate description of how carpal tunnel syndrome actually occurs.

What is agreed upon is the fact that the flexor tendons and median nerve are operating in a much smaller space than they were prior to the onset of symptoms. Many professionals state that it is the swelling of the involved tissues that is diminishing the space and others say that is caused by a muscle imbalance between the flexor and extensor muscles that is causing the carpal bones to shift into the carpal tunnel, making the carpal tunnel much smaller.

After much research, my opinion is that the swelling is a "secondary effect" of the nine flexor tendons and median nerve having to glide through the carpal tunnel which has decreased in size due to a muscle imbalance*.

How does the carpal tunnel decrease in size? The carpal tunnel decreases in size because the flexor muscles that 'close' the hands are exercised on a daily basis with virtually every activity we perform, and they become stronger, shorter and tighter than the extensor muscles that 'open' the hands, thus causing the carpal bones to shift inward, collapsing the carpal tunnel and making it smaller. As the tendons and median nerve slide back and forth in the much smaller space, friction between the tissues occurs.

What does friction in the carpal tunnel cause? Friction between flexor tendons and median nerve within the carpal tunnel causes inflammation and swelling, which puts pressure on the median nerve, resulting in carpal tunnel syndrome. This is the reason that surgeons sever the carpal ligament, making more room for the flexor tendons and median nerve to move around in. If the carpal tunnel is returned back to its original size, prior to the onset of symptoms, the friction and swelling is eliminated and the symptoms disappear.

Continually performing repetitive wrist and finger flexion while symptoms are already present will ultimately aggravate the existing condition even more and lead to possible irreversible damage of the flexor tendons, blood vessels and median nerve within the carpal tunnel.

How can the carpal tunnel syndrome be eliminated? By stretching and lengthening the overly restrictive flexor muscles that 'close' the hands and strengthening and shortening the extensor muscles that 'open' the hands, the carpal tunnel can return to its normal size, decreasing impingement of the tendons and median nerve, which also eliminates friction and causes the carpal tunnel symptoms to disappear.

Now is the time to take the steps to prevent and/or eliminate carpal tunnel syndrome by starting a stretch / exercise program for your hands. Speak with your doctor or contact a certified therapist today to implement a good stretch and exercise program to keep you strong, healthy and injury-free!

About the Author/Author Bio

Jeff P. Anliker is a Therapist and Inventor of Flextend and other therapeutic products that are utilized by Corporations, Consumers and Medical Facilities around the world for prevention, rehabilitation and performance enhancement. http://repetitive-strain.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome---A-Secondary-Effect/14357

Article Tags: disease and illness, carpal tunnel syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain, flextend, carpal tunnel stretches, carpal tunnel exercises

More "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" Related Articles

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" article category.

People interested in the above article "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - A Secondary Effect" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

You may be sleeping at night or maybe working at your keyboard and suddenly an arrow of fire shoots through your fingers, blazes through your wrists, and travels up your arm, ending in your elbow. Your fingers tingle at the impact and then the wrist and the fingers become numb.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Is Surgery Really Necessary?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is defined as a condition involving numbness, tingling, weakness, pain and/or muscle wasting of the hand along the distribution of the median nerve. This relates to the thenar or thumb-side of the hand.

The CAUSE of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is not a disease but a musculoskeletal disorder. Kate Montgomery, author therapist, defines Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and the true Cause of it. The Healthy Body vs. the Strained, RSI Body and what can be done to bring it back into balance without surgery.

Ouch My Aching Wrists: No More Keyboarding Or Golf

You may have heard experienced computer users or serious golfers lamenting that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has affected them big time. Just what is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and how can I prevent it from affecting my computer keyboarding and golf activities.

What IS Carpal Tunnel?

In the human wrist there is a sheath of tough connective tissue which surrounds and protects the median nerve and tendons that attach muscles to the wrist and hand bones. The Carpal Tunnel is the space above ane below this sheath and the bones making up the carpal bones in the wrist and hand.

What Causes Carpal Tunnel?

A common factor in developing carpal tunnel symptoms is increased hand use or activity. While repetitive activities are often blamed for the development of Carpal Tunnel, the correlation is often unclear.

The Devestating Effects Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a devastating disorder that is one of many listed under the general term, "Repetitive Strain Injury" (RSI).

Print Article

Comment on Article

Favorite Article

Email to Friend

Republish Article

Article Directory Home

Disease And Illness

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!

(Search in 23 languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, Italian, German,
Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Greek,
Swedish, Romanian, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian)

(We serve worldwide - Locations updated as at Saturday, 11 October 2008 01:01 pm , Singapore)

United States of America, USA . United Kingdom, UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bonaire . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam . Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Channel Islands . Chile . China . Christmas Island . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . Côte d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Curacao . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Gaza . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea-Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Hawaiian Islands . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Johnston Atoll . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Leeward Islands . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Midway Islands . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Montserrat . Morocco . Mosquito Coast . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Navassa Island . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paracel Islands . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Pitcairn Islands . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Ryukyu Islands . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . São Tom?& Príncipe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tonga . Transkei . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Turks and Caicos Islands . Tuvalu . US Virgin Islands . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Upper Volta . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Wake Island . Windward Islands . Yemen . Yugoslavia . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe

Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Template Design by Internet Marketing Singapore | Internet Marketing