How can I tell if I have carpal tunnel?

The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, tingling or numbness in the thumb and next three fingers with the exception of the little finger. You may also feel swelling in your fingers. Sometimes there may be pain that travels from the hand up the arm possibly to the elbow.

The pain, numbness and tingling usually worsen at night and while driving or holding the telephone. Some claim the symptoms increase when the hand is warm and decrease when it is cool.  You may even wake up with your hand or hands asleep and have to shake it to try to regain feeling.

As carpal tunnel syndrome progresses, your hand may become noticeably weaker so that daily activities such as opening a jar or grasping your hairbrush may be difficult. You may drop items easily and think you’re just plain clumsy--when, in fact, the carpal tunnel syndrome has weakened your grip.

The most common symptoms include pain, numbness, and tingling in the thumb, index, long, and ring fingers. Night symptoms are common because we often sleep with our wrists curled (or "flexed"), which compresses the nerve more. You might feel symptoms while driving, reading a newspaper, or holding a telephone, or during gripping activities. Some people actually start dropping objects or feeling clumsy with their hands. In severe cases, you could lose sensation or control of your thumb permanently.

The diagnosis usually can be made by history and examination by your doctor. If there is reason to suspect bony reasons for symptoms (previous wrist injury), X-rays can be helpful. A nerve conduction study (NCV) and/or electromyogram (EMG) is not always needed but might be performed to confirm the diagnosis and to check for other nerve problems.