Health encyclopaedia

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

Diagnosis of Carpal tunnel syndrome

Your doctor will make a diagnosis based on an examination and description of your symptoms. Other disorders of the median nerve have similar symptoms, but carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common cause.

Your doctor may tap the inside of your wrist to see if this causes pins and needles or a shock sensation to the fingertips. This is known as Tinnel's sign, and it may show that the median nerve is not working properly.

Nerve and muscle tests are sometimes carried out to confirm the diagnosis. Nerve tests assess how well a nerve is conducting electrical signals. The nerve is stimulated by an electrical impulse, and its response time to the impulse is measured. A probe is held against the skin covering the nerve. An electrode placed further along the skin records the nerve’s response to the electrical impulse.

A muscle test called an EMG (electromyography) often follows this, to check whether a muscle disorder is causing the problem. A fine needle is used to measure the electrical activity of the muscle when resting and when tense. It is performed by placing the needle in or on the muscle, and the results are displayed on a computer screen.

Occasionally, a blood test is necessary to rule out a problem with the thyroid gland.

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