Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - CTS

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• A Landscape Gardner received £60,000 in compensation in 2011 for developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

What is CTS?

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers (although not the little finger), as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move. The carpal tunnel - a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand -houses the median nerve and tendons.

Sometimes, thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the median nerve to be compressed. The result may be pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm. Although painful sensations may indicate other conditions, carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common and widely known of the entrapment neuropathies in which the body's peripheral nerves are compressed or traumatized.

What are the symptoms of CTS?

Symptoms usually start gradually, with frequent burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers. Some carpal tunnel sufferers say their fingers feel useless and swollen, even though little or no swelling is apparent.

The symptoms often first appear in one or both hands during the night, since many people sleep with flexed wrists. A person with carpal tunnel syndrome may wake up feeling the need to "shake out" the hand or wrist.

 As symptoms worsen, people might feel tingling during the day. Decreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks. In chronic and/or untreated cases, the muscles at the base of the thumb may waste away. Some people are unable to tell between hot and cold by touch.

What are the causes of CTS?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is often the result of a combination of factors that increase pressure on the median nerve and tendons in the carpal tunnel, rather than a problem with the nerve itself. Most likely the disorder is due to a congenital predisposition - the carpal tunnel is simply smaller in some people than in others.

Other contributing factors include trauma or injury to the wrist that cause swelling, such as sprain or fracture; over-activity of the pituitary gland; hypothyroidism; rheumatoid arthritis; mechanical problems in the wrist joint; work stress; repeated use of vibrating hand tools; fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause; or the development of a cyst or tumour in the canal. In some cases no cause can be identified.

Who is at risk of developing CTS?

Women are three times more likely than men to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, perhaps because the carpal tunnel itself may be smaller in women than in men. The dominant hand is usually affected first and produces the most severe pain.

Persons with diabetes or other metabolic disorders that directly affect the body's nerves and make them more susceptible to compression are also at high risk. Carpal tunnel syndrome usually occurs only in adults.

The risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome is not confined to people in a single industry or job, but is especially common in those performing assembly line work - manufacturing, sewing, finishing, cleaning, and meat, poultry, or fish packing.

Treatment

Carpal tunnel syndrome treatment usually begins conservatively, and moves to more aggressive and invasive techniques if the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome persist.

The initial carpal tunnel syndrome treatment steps include some medications and splints. Your doctor may ask you to rest your wrist or change how you use your hand. Your doctor may also ask you to wear a splint on your wrist. The splint keeps your wrist from moving but lets your hand do most of what it normally does. A splint can help ease the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome, especially at night.

Putting ice on your wrist, massaging the area and doing stretching exercises may help too.

Cortisone injections provide temporary relief as it is injected directly into the affected area to decrease inflammation around the nerve.

Surgical treatments are available and effective in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. The most common procedure is the carpal tunnel release. A carpal tunnel release involves making an incision in the fibrous sheath around the carpal tunnel. By releasing tension in the carpal tunnel, the pressure is removed from the nerve.

What is the prognosis?

Recurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome following treatment is rare. The majority of patients recover completely.

To prevent workplace-related carpal tunnel syndrome, workers can do on-the-job conditioning, perform stretching exercises, take frequent rest breaks, wear splints to keep wrists straight, and use correct posture and wrist position. Wearing fingerless gloves can help keep hands warm and flexible.

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ovXYgZUsyoXEe
Date Posted : 21/04/2011

My husband is 64 years old and has been diognosed with rsi of his wrist. It has been confirmed that it is work related and the company were made aware that an electric tool was required to avoid any problems.

View Post

'No-win, no fee' changes announced by Ken Clarke
Date Posted : 31/03/2011

No Win, No Fee as we know it, is changing soon. Solicitors will be forced by the Government to take a percentage of their clients compensation.

If you are thinking of making a claim for compensation...DO IT NOW BEFORE THE PROPOSED CHANGE.

 

S

View Post

ovXYgZUsyoXEe
Date Posted : 15/03/2011 my dad drove a london tube train for 20 years and developed RSI in his right shoulder - he was awarded £10,800 for his injury and loss of earnings. James View Post

ovXYgZUsyoXEe
Date Posted : 23/02/2011 Compensation for RSI does depend on the circumstances of the individual. But there does not have to be a diagnosis for the sufferer in order for them to pursue a claim for compensation. Claim awards can bring large amounts but I would say a more realistic, average figure would be between £7k and £15k. View Post

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Date Posted : 23/02/2011 My dad got around £10k for having it in his right hand/arm. He retired but still has the condition to deal with. sue View Post

RSI Compensation Claim
Date : 22 Mar 2011

An RSI injury occurs as a result of repetitive, long term and excessive overuse of the hands, wrists, back or shoulders. The condition often leads to pain and suffering, having to take time off work and generally not knowing how to deal with the ongoing symptoms. All in all, this usually leads the RSI sufferer with no option but to make a claim for RSI compensation.

View News Article

Artist gives hand scare brush-off to paint again
Date : 15 Mar 2011

WHEN artist Leo du Feu first experienced a mild tingling sensation in his right hand while painting, he didn't think too much of it.

Just weeks later, he was diagnosed with repetitive strain injury (RSI) in both his hands, casting doubts over his career as a full-time artist.

The 26-year-old from Linlithgow, who predominantly paints landscape and wildlife pictures, was instructed by his doctor to down tools for six months, and has only recently picked up his paintbrush again. He said: "I absolutely love painting, so being told I couldn't do it for six months was quite depressing and I have gone through phases of feeling very low."

Source : www.news.scotsman.com
Link : http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Artist-gives-hand-scare-brushoff.6734339.jp

Massaging fat business fliers gave us RSI
Date : 08 Mar 2011

Two Virgin Atlantic beauty therapists suffered repetitive strain injury after giving massages to overweight businessmen, a court heard.

Jayne Evans, 40, claims she was left struggling with simple tasks such as pulling on jeans or slicing vegetables.

She and Michelle Hindmarch, 35, say they suffered chronic muscular pain in their shoulders, upper back and wrists after giving intensive shiatsu massage to business and first class passengers at the Clubhouse lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3. They are suing Virgin Atlantic for more than £500,000.

 

Theodore Huckle, counsel for the women, told the High Court they had been forced to end their careers, and the pain meant peeling carrots or taking a roast from the oven was beyond them. Mrs Evans, of Ruislip, was sent home after an arduous session in 2005 when a large male client asked her to massage even harder, the judge was told.

She is seeking £327,000 from Virgin for exposing her to the risk of injury. She is still at the firm in an office role. Mrs Hindmarch, of Banstead, is seeking £235,000. Virgin accepts liability but contests the extent of the injury and the level of damages. Judge Martin McKenna reserved judgment to a later date.

Source : www.thisislondon.co.uk
Link : http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23929886-massaging-fat-business-fliers-gave-us-rsi.do

Could your blow-dry poison you?
Date : 08 Mar 2011

When a rep selling a popular long-term hair straightening treatment visited Karen Dandy’s salon last year, the hairdresser was intrigued.

Assembling her team of stylists and two willing models, Karen watched as the treatment — dubbed the Brazilian blow-dry, and loved by celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie — was applied.

Little more than 30 minutes into the process, when the models’ hair was heated with straighteners, all five people in the room began suffering headaches and nausea, with stinging eyes and sore throats. Karen and her staff found themselves inhaling a noxious chemical mist that rose to the salon ceiling and hung there in a cloud.

 

 

Source : www.dailymail.co.uk
Link : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1363620/Brazilian-blow-dry-uses-cocktail-chemicals-deeply-disturbing-effects.html

Bad body posture makes you a sitting duck
Date : 18 Feb 2011

If your job requires long hours of sitting then getting up from your desk and walking around a little every 20 minutes or so could help your body more than a 45-minute session at the gym, say experts.

Source : The Times of India
Link : timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/fitness/Bad-body-posture-makes-you-a-sitting-duck/articleshow/7522469.cms