Carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis are both incredibly painful conditions, but they require very different forms of treatment. It’s important to know which is which if your hands suddenly start hurting, but how can you tell?
There are a number of symptoms that are unique to carpal tunnel.
People who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome will experience pain, numbness, and tingling that:
- Often extends away from your hands and at least part way up your forearm
- Is triggered by repetitive motions
- Can often be triggered by something as simple as driving or holding your cellphone
- Early on, symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can be temporarily eased by vigorously shaking your hands
- Tends to wake you up in the middle of the night and is often worse in the mornings
- Affects your thumb and your first two or three fingers, but doesn’t seem to impact your pinky
Obviously if you have mysterious pain in your hands, the first and best thing you can do is see your doctor or chiropractor for an examination and an assessment. Too often, people proceed from the assumption that they have a certain condition and begin a course of at-home treatment. Later, they discover that they were treating the wrong thing and may have made their condition worse by not getting it checked out by a professional.
In either case, whether your problem is arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome, there are viable treatments available. Again, it’s impossible to know with a high degree of certainty how to proceed until and unless you’ve been examined by a professional.
Don’t leave either of these conditions to chance, and don’t let them linger. Any time you feel pain, your body is trying to tell you something. Ignore it at your peril!
