What Does a Carpal Tunnel Feel Like? Symptoms to Watch For

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by compression of the median nerve as it passes through the wrist. The bones and ligaments of the wrist create a narrow passage called the carpal tunnel. This tunnel actually houses the median nerve as well as tendons which bend the fingers. When swelling and inflammation is present within the tunnel, pressure is placed on the median nerve. This pressure interferes with the communication between your hand and your brain, which causes the physical symptoms you feel. Let's break it down further below.

So, What Does a Carpal Tunnel Feel Like?

Most people with carpal tunnel syndrome don't experience a sudden injury, but rather a slow onset of strange sensations. The most common feeling is "pins and needles," similar to when your foot falls asleep. This tingling typically affects the thumb, index, middle, and half of the ring finger, but almost never the pinky.

As the condition progresses, the tingling may turn into a dull wrist pain that can radiate up the forearm. Holding items like a book or steering wheel can become difficult, causing your hand to go numb. This happens because holding the wrist in one position for a long time increases the pressure on the already vulnerable median nerve.

You might also notice weakness, causing you to drop things. This occurs because the compressed median nerve can't properly signal the muscles at the base of your thumb to grip. For many, this weakness is the sign that it's time to seek professional help.

Why Does it Hurt More at Night?

If there is one pattern with carpal tunnel symptoms it is when they occur. Sure, there are certain things you can do during the day to flare up the condition. But did you know that the majority of symptoms happen when you are trying to sleep at night? Many sufferers will even wake up in the middle of the night needing to vigorously shake out their hands or hang them off the side of the bed.

Why? When you sleep, it is common for your wrists to bend inward. Medically, we call this wrist flexion. Wrist flexion takes up valuable space in the carpal tunnel. So, if your tunnel is already inflamed, the added pressure is enough to “choke” your nerves. The result? Lightning bolts of numbness and tingling or burning pain shoot through your wrist, causing you to wake up. Not only is this frustrating, but when your body doesn’t receive proper rest, it can affect your overall health. Making it even more difficult to deal with the physical demands of your day.

Early Carpal Tunnel Symptoms vs Advanced Symptoms

Your body has an amazing ability to communicate with you. However, it often starts as a whisper before it becomes a scream. Sometimes catching carpal tunnel symptoms early on can be the difference between a couple of weeks of care and permanent damage. Resilience is born when you listen to those whispers and take action.

Symptoms of Early Stage Carpal Tunnel

• Tingling in your fingers that comes and goes – Especially if shaking your hand relieves the symptom.
• Numbness – Your fingers may not feel as sensitive as they used to when handling small objects like coins or jewelry.
• Waking up at night – Occasionally waking up because your hand feels like it’s vibrating or “asleep”
• Mild clumsiness – Dropping your phone more than usual or struggling to button a shirt, but your strength returns quickly.

Symptoms of Advanced Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

• Constant numbness – Weakness in your hand is persistent and you feel like you always have to deal with the pins and needles.
• Muscle wasting – When you look at the palm of your hand, the fatty pad at the base of your thumb is visibly smaller.
• No temperature perception – You may not realize how bad it is until you cannot tell if water is hot or cold using your afflicted fingers.
• Burning in your arm – Not only can the pain remain in your wrist, but it may feel like it travels all the way up to your shoulder.
• Inability to grip – Your weakened hand may not be strong enough to open jars or carry groceries.

How Does Physical Therapy Help Treat Carpal Tunnel?

Believe it or not, many fear that carpal tunnel automatically means you are headed to the operating room. There is good news! Physical therapy is that middle ground. Physical therapy is a conservative, yet highly effective method of recovery that avoids the risks and recovery time of surgery. The goal is to open up space for the nerve and decrease the irritation causing you pain.

Manual Therapy & Nerve Glides at Our Clinic

Our Austin physical therapy clinic utilizes manual therapy techniques to treat patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Manual therapy includes hands-on manipulation of the tiny bones in your wrist and stretching of the overused ligaments that create the roof of the carpal tunnel. By creating extra room for the median nerve we can allow it to start healing.

We also focus heavily on nerve glides exercises. You can think of these exercises as brushing the nerve against the surrounding tissue as it moves through the carpal tunnel. When irritated the nerve will become “sticky” and adhere to nearby structures. Ensuring it slides easily allows us to decrease irritation and increase blood flow to the area. You can learn more about how we apply these specialized treatments locally to help you heal.

We Make Adjustments to your Ergonomics

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that are causing you the greatest pain. Did you know that the position you hold your cellphone in or type on your keyboard can affect your wrist health? A physical therapist will analyze how you sit at your desk, hold your phone, even drive your car. By simply changing the height of your keyboard or using a vertical mouse we can relieve tons of pressure off your wrists through better ergonomics. These aren’t just changes to help you feel better now; they help you prevent future injuries!

We focus on improving YOUR Strength & Resilience

Lastly, it is not enough to simply take away your pain. Our goal is to make sure you don’t continue to come back with the same problem. By increasing the strength of your muscles around the wrist we can ensure they can handle more stressful activities. Lifting heavy bags or typing for long periods of time becomes less risky when your arm works together as a team. We focus on strengthening your entire arm from your shoulder to your fingertips!

Ready To Stop Living With Pain?

Life does not have to be lived in miserable pain. If you are asking yourself, 'What does carpal tunnel feel like?' or searching for ways to resolve it, we can help. At Carter Physiotherapy, we strive to guide each of our patients to find long-term relief without risking unnecessary treatments.

Your hands are your livelihood. They allow you to provide for your family and create incredible things. Don’t let something as small as carpal tunnel syndrome rob you of those joys. Contact our team today to learn more about how we can help you heal. Whether you would like to speak to someone directly or just stop by our Austin office - we can help.

FAQs

Can carpal tunnel syndrome resolve itself?

Unlikely. If you’ve developed symptoms due to something you were doing, it’s possible that stopping that activity will make the symptoms go away. However, the inflammation in your wrist will still be there. If you continue to partake in the activity or movement(s) that are putting pressure on your nerves, your symptoms will likely return and will only get worse with time.

Will typing give me carpal tunnel syndrome?

Typing will get blamed all the time, but odds are it’s not just one thing. Repetitive movement over an extended period of time can cause problems, but it really has more to do with how your wrist is positioned when you’re doing the activity. Some people are more genetically predisposed to getting it due to the shape of their wrists or comorbid conditions like diabetes.

How long should I have wrist pain before seeing a physical therapist?

If you experience any prolonged numbness and tingling in your wrist (lasts more than a few days), it’s time to come see us. Another good indicator is if you’re starting to lose sleep due to pain. The sooner we can catch it, the quicker you’ll see results and the less you have to deal with down the road.