Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common neurological disorder that occurs when the median nerve, which runs from your forearm into the palm of the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. You may feel numbness, weakness, pain in your hand and wrist, and your fingers may become swollen and useless.
The median nerve and the tendons that bend the fingers pass through the carpal tunnel—a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand. The median nerve provides feeling to the thumb, index, and middle finger, and part of the ring finger (but not the little finger). It also controls some small muscles at the base of the thumb.
Sometimes, thickening from the lining of irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and compresses the median nerve. CTS is the most common and widely known of the entrapment neuropathies, in which one of the body’s peripheral nerves is pressed on or squeezed.
You can sometimes treat carpal tunnel syndrome at home, but it may take months to heal. Your doctor can recommend treatments.
