Causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

There are essentially five main causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. These are as follows:

Family History

There is a genetic link within families that means you have an increased risk of developing the condition if members of your family suffer from it, or have suffered in the past. While it is not fully understood how the condition is passed on through families, about one in four people who suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome have a family member who also has the condition.

Health Conditions

There are certain health conditions that appear to increase the likelihood of developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. These include diabetes, arthritis (particularly rheumatoid arthritis), obesity, and suffering from an underactive thyroid gland. In addition to this some drugs that are used to combat breast cancer have been known to increase the risk of developing the condition.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy swelling in the hands can be caused by a build up of fluid within the tissues and some of this fluid can collect within the carpal tunnel. This in turn puts pressure upon the median nerve causing the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Up to 60 per cent of pregnant women experience some symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome but in most cases these symptoms subside within a few weeks of the baby being born.
Injuries to the wrist

In some cases Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can result from an injury to the wrist such as a sprain, breakage or crush injury. This is because the swelling created by the injury can put pressure on the median nerve creating the symptoms synonymous with the condition. In some cases these injuries can lead to a permanent change in the shape of the wrist that in turn can lead to pressure being applied to the nerve.

Certain Specific Activities

There are certain activities that can trigger the development of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome through the pressures they apply to the wrist. In many cases these activities involve repetitive actions carried out using the wrist and hand; particularly those that involve strenuous grip or those which involve exposure to vibration. While activities such as typing can be seen as repetitive, it is far more common for CTS to develop in situations where strenuous activities are carried out repetitively, such as working with heavy, vibrating tools such as chainsaws or pneumatic drills on a regular basis, playing a musical instrument, any work that involves manual labour or repetitive tasks such as packing on an assembly line.