Carpal Tunnel Screening

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a clinical diagnosis for a nerve lesion, irritation or entrapment of the median nerve at the wrist. The diagnosis requires the presence of both symptoms, and an abnormal nerve conduction study consistent with median nerve dysfunction.

What is the Carpal Tunnel

The carpal tunnel is a deep groove on the palmar surface of the carpal bones, underneath the flexor retinaculum. Through it pass the long flexor tendons and the median nerve.

The Symptoms

The symptoms of CTS are pain in the hands and wrists and/or numbness and tingling in the fingers.

Differential Diagnosis

These relatively common symptoms could also be due to other non nerve-related conditions such as tendonitis, arthritis or other muscular-skeletal diseases.

What Causes CTS

Swelling of the tendons that line the carpal tunnel causes CTS. Although there are many reasons for developing this swelling, it can result from repetitive and forceful movements of the wrist during work and leisure activities.

Significance of CTS

"Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the chief occupational hazard"
--U.S. Department of Labor

"One in eight workers will develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome without proper intervention."
--Bureau of Labor Statistics

"Fifty percent of all workers who are afflicted with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome missed 30 days or more of work."
--Bureau of Labor Statistics

"Repetitive Stress Injuries account for 60% of all occupational illnesses."
--Bureau of Labor Statistics

"The average compensation for an employee with carpal tunnel syndrome is $33,000."
--National Council of Compensation Insurance

"…surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the 2nd most frequently performed operation in the United States today."
--U.S. Department of Labor

What is Carpal Tunnel Screening

Carpal Tunnel Screening is a non-invasive Sensory Nerve Conduction Study- a standard test used by neurologists to diagnos nerve damage.
The nerve is stimulated with surface electrodes, which are patch-like electrodes placed on the skin over the nerve. One electrode stimulates the nerve with a very mild electrical impulse. The resulting electrical activity is recorded by the other electrodes. The distance between electrodes and the time it takes for electrical impulses to travel between electrodes are used to calculate the nerve conduction velocity.
How will the test feel?
There is no discomfort. The electrical stimulus is so small that it is usually not even noticed.
How does it work?
Administered by a medical technician, it involves measuring and recording the impulses carried by the median nerve. If the nerve is compressed, as in CTS, the impulse conducting properties of the nerve will be diminished.
How are the results interpreted?
By testing the efficiency of the median nerve to carry an impulse through the carpal tunnel, a quantifiable finding of the nerve's condition can be made. These results are then interpreted by a neurologist.
What are the benefits?
Carpal tunnel screening detects employees who are most at risk or are in the early stages of CTS. The disabling effects of this disease can be prevented or substantially diminished through early diagnosis and treatment.
Early detection is the key to a simple solution
Simple and inexpensive changes in the workplace, such as adjusting the height of work surfaces and keyboards, can be used to correct the problem.
Phone: 713-796-0600
Fax: 713-796-0303

FastCounter by bCentral