8 Things That Make Carpal Tunnel Pain Worse

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) affects up to 5% of adults in the United States at any given time and accounts for 90% of all mononeuropathy cases — or symptoms caused by damage to a single nerve. If you live with this common condition, you know it can leave your affected wrist and hand feeling:

• Sharp, burning pain

• Constant achiness

• Tingly with pinpricks  

• Swollen and numb

• Weak and “useless”

As board-certified orthopedists specializing in CTS care at Sports Medicine Oregon in Tigard and Wilsonville, Oregon, our team understands that a combination of rest, activity modification, supportive orthotics, as-needed pain relief, and physical therapy significantly alleviate CTS symptoms.

We also know that several activities and habits can aggravate the condition and worsen carpal tunnel pain. Here are eight things to be aware of when managing CTS. 

Understanding carpal tunnel pain

CTS affects the median nerve, a mixed motor-sensory nerve that enables function and feeling in your forearms, wrists, hands, and fingers. This long nerve begins in your shoulder, extends down the inside of your arm, passes through your wrist, and ends in your hand.  

The median nerve passes through a tight, rigid passageway inside your wrist called the carpal tunnel. Made of carpal bones and wrist-stabilizing ligaments, the carpal tunnel surrounds and protects the median nerve along with movement-facilitating tendons.

CTS symptoms, like wrist and hand pain, tingling, or numbness, happen when the median nerve becomes compressed and irritated. This can occur when anything — ranging from injury and arthritis to repetitive use and fluid retention — causes swollen tissues that press on the median nerve and trigger uncomfortable sensations. 

8 Things that can aggravate CTS

In mild to moderate CTS cases, pain symptoms can often be resolved — even for long stretches — after a period of rest and activity modification. But the condition can also worsen with certain habits, activities, conditions, and circumstances: 

1. Repetitive use

Repetitive, wrist-intensive activities like typing, using a computer mouse, knitting, playing certain instruments (i.e., piano, guitar), and playing certain sports (i.e., golf) can aggravate CTS quickly — especially if you engage in them for hours at a time.  

2. Bent positioning

Holding your wrist in a bent position for extended periods can compress the median nerve anew, leading to worsening CTS pain. Driving (griping steering wheel) for lengthy stretches can exacerbate CTS, as can using a keyboard without an ergonomic setup and sleeping in a fetal position with your wrists bent. 

3. Forceful actions 

You may find that your CTS worsens after you perform tasks that require forceful hand/wrist action, like chopping vegetables in the kitchen or digging in the garden. These repetitive tasks may not last longer than an hour or two, but the force required to perform them can lead to nerve-compressing inflammation within the wrist joint.  

4. Not taking breaks

If typing or some other wrist-intensive activity is an inescapable part of your routine, not taking regular breaks when you’re engaged in that activity can lead to increased hand-wrist tension and fatigue that increases pressure on your median nerve and triggers CTS pain. 

5. Lack of stretching 

Regular wrist-hand stretching helps control CTS: It can loosen overly tight tendons, ligaments, and muscles, ease inflammation and nerve compression, increase blood flow, improve range of motion, and prevent pain flares. Forgetting to stretch makes CTS flares more likely.   

6. Fluid retention 

CTS affects three times more women than men. For women, the hormonal fluctuations of monthly menstruation, perimenopause, and pregnancy can cause fluid retention that leads to swelling, increased median nerve compression, and worsening CTS symptoms. 

7. Chronic illness 

Certain underlying medical conditions may intensify CTS symptoms. Diabetes can damage the median nerve and contribute to increased CTS pain. At the same time, disorders like an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can cause thickening around wrist tendons that aggravates CTS and makes symptoms worse.  

8. Cold environments

Living or working in a cold environment can worsen CTS symptoms by reducing blood circulation to your wrists and hands, increasing nerve sensitivity, and adding to muscle tension and stiffness. 

Lasting relief from CTS symptoms

Remember, carpal tunnel is a progressive condition that tends to worsen without intervention. If your current CTS care plan hasn’t put an end to your pain episodes, we can help. Schedule a visit at Sports Medicine Oregon in Tigard or Wilsonville, Oregon, today.