Pregnancy Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Are you pregnant?

Do your fingers go numb, have tingles or pins and needles in them?

You might have Pregnancy Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME?

Can occur in the thumb, index finger, middle finger, half of the ring finger, the palm and front of the wrist

• Numbness

• Tingling

• ‘Funny feeling’

• Itchy

• Burning

• Pins and needles

• Pain

• Dropping things

• Occasional clumsiness

• Having to ‘shake’ hands during the night

I have those symptoms! What next?

Read on to find out what is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

WHAT IS CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME?

Nerves are the biggest messengers in the body. They use electrical impulses to carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord throughout our whole body. When the nerve gets disrupted, the messages get mixed up. If this happens to a nerve that supplies skin, it means that the skin can feel different - it changes the sensation in the skin.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is when the median nerve gets inflamed and compressed in the carpal tunnel. Carpal is Latin for wrist - so carpal tunnel just means wrist tunnel. The median nerve travels through this tunnel and as it is a small, tight area it is at risk of compression.

This compression disrupts the flow of the nerve impulses, which is why we feel numbness, tingles or pins and needles. The compression blocks the messages from getting through properly. Unfortunately with repeated compression, the nerve impulses can become permanently reduced and may result in permanent numbness of the fingertips.

HOW IS THE NERVE COMPRESSED?

One of the more unpleasant side effects of growing a baby can be carpal tunnel syndrome. This is because of the hormonal changes and then the increase in fluid pooling in the carpal tunnel. This fluid pools in the carpal tunnel and puts extra pressure on the nerve.

With the increased fluid the other risk factors for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome become even more prominent!

• Repeated or constant bending of the wrist all the way forwards or backwards – such as curling up when sleeping

• Repeated or constant pressure applied over the carpal tunnel, eg. Gardening tools or leaning on the base of your hands for typing

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE IT BETTER?

The biggest goal for treatment is to prevent ongoing compression of the nerve. It sounds simple - and it is - but is not always so easy to do this!

We are specialists in what causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and will work with you to figure out exactly how your nerve is getting compressed. Once we know this we will help you to modify things to stop it from happening!

While we can’t change the hormones that are the underlying cause, we can manage the symptoms to give you some relief and to minimise the damage to the nerve.

As the compression with pregnancy is often caused by the fluid retention, your therapist may fit you with a compression glove. The compression can stop the fluid from pooling in the carpal tunnel. This relieves the pressure on the nerve and generally makes your hands feel better as they wont be so swollen.

WHAT CAN YOU DO AT HOME TO MAKE IT BETTER?

• Keep your hands elevated above your heart to reduce the fluid pressure in the carpal tunnel

• Apply ice to the front of your wrist for 10-15 mins 2-3 x day - this helps to reduce the swelling

• Hold a sponge in your hand above your heart and gently squeeze the sponge for 10 squeezes multiple times during the day - this helps to pump the fluid out of your hand and wrist

• Adjust your daily activities so that you are not holding your wrist in a bent position for an extended period

• Use a splint to sleep in to keep your wrist straight at night

• Adjust your grip on tools so no pressure is on the base of your hand

• Use a wrist rest at your keyboard so that you are resting the pressure on your forearms and not at the base of your hand