Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is pressure on a nerve in your wrist. It causes tingling, numbness and pain in your hand and fingers. You can often treat it yourself, but it can take months to get better.
The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include:
These symptoms often start slowly and come and go. They’re usually worse at night.
CTS happens when the carpal tunnel inside your wrist swells and squeezes 1 of your nerves (median nerve).
You’re more at risk if you:
CTS sometimes gets better by itself in a few months, particularly if you have it because you’re pregnant.
Wear a wrist splint
A wrist splint is something you wear on your hand to keep your wrist straight. It helps to relieve pressure on the nerve.
You wear it at night while you sleep. You’ll have to wear a splint for at least 4 weeks before it starts to feel better.
You can buy wrist splints online or from pharmacies.
Stop or cut down on things that may be causing it
Stop or cut down on anything that causes you to frequently bend your wrist or grip hard, such as using vibrating tools for work or playing an instrument.
Painkillers
Painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen may help carpal tunnel pain short-term.
But there’s little evidence to say they can treat the cause of CTS, so it’s important not to rely on them.
Hand exercises
There’s a small amount of evidence to suggest hand exercises help ease the symptoms of CTS.
It is possible to treat CTS with an operation or with injections.