Jane is a thirty seven year old woman working as a Nurse. Jane has been working in a fast paced technical department of a hospital for over 15 years in a role that requires a very high degree of repetitive hand finger manipulation, and fine manual dexterity. Her roles include application of digital pressure to prevent blood hemorrhage, and complex canulation procedures (RBI, para 5).
Jane has no underlying medical conditions. A general practitioner has already diagnosed Jane with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and the line manager has referred Jane to the occupational safety department to modify her work procedures as a treatment option (RBI, para 6).
As statistics show, Jane is part of the three to six percent of all the adult population affected by carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a condition characterized by a gradual increase in painful arm and hand conditions. Metacarpal syndrome is caused by the squeezing of the median nerve found in the wrist (MedicineNet, para 1). Some of the factors that cause metacarpal syndrome are preexisting health problems , the mode of usage of a person’s hand and the wrist’s anatomy.
The wrist contains the carpal tunnel, which is a thin passage that safeguards the nerves and the tendons of the hands. A Compression of the nerve produces pain and general hand weaknesses that characterize the carpal tunnel syndrome. Proper treatment can relieve the pain, numbness and restore the normal use of the wrists and hands (Medicinenet para 2). This paper explores the etiology of Carpal tunnel syndrome using Jane’s Condition as a case example.
The Metacarpal Syndrome
The cause of carpal tunnel syndrome in Jane’s case is due to repetitive work she does at the hospital. Jane has been experiencing pain, parenthesia, loss of sensitivity in her thumbs and fingers . She also complains of the general weaknesses in her wrists. , Initially, Jane used to experience dull , aching, paresthesia in the hands affecting her ability to perform manual dexterity tasks and her job performance.
For many patients with carpal tunnel syndrome , the exact cause of metacarpal syndrome is not clear. The application of pressure on the nerve in the carpal tunnel causes metacarpal syndrome. Any factor that applies some pressure on the nerve is a definite cause of the disease. Other common causes of the syndrome are obesity, pregnancy, arthritis, diabetes, hypothyroidism and trauma. Inflammation of the tendon due to repetitive work can also cause the symptoms of the diseases (Kraft 1).
Carpal tunnel syndrome from repetitive maneuvers is also called repetitive stress injuries. Diseases like sarcaodidosis , leukemia, myeloma and amyliodisis lead to the accumulation of substances along the carpal tunnel and they can lead to inflammation of the median nerve (Kraft 1).
The most common forms of symptoms of the disease include numbness, tingling of the hand, along the areas of distribution of the median nerve like thumb, index, fourth finger and the middle finger. The symptoms of the disease are more pronounced at night. The worsening of the symptoms of the disease at night is due to flexed wrist during sleeping and accumulation of fluid around the wrist and hand when sleeping. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be a very temporary condition that can be resolved or a disease progresses with time (Kraft 2) .
When Carpal Tunnel Syndrome progresses, the patient can feel burning sensations, cramping and weakening of the hand as well as a reduction in grip strength. Some sharp shooting pains can be felt in the forearms . Chronic forms of the disease can cause atrophy of the hand muscles. These symptoms of the disease form the basis of diagnosis of the disease (Medicinenet para 7).
Diagnosis of the disease is based on a physical examination of the head , shoulder, neck pulses and reflexes and the wrist. The wrist is examined for swelling, tenderness discoloration and deformity. Tapping on the front of the wrist can produce some tingling of hand to produce a tingling sign of the condition. Diagnosis of the disease is made when the nerve conduction velocity test is not normal. An electromyogram (EMG) of the muscles is also carried out to determine the extremity of the muscles. Blood tests and x-rays are also carried out to determine the abnormalities associated with the disease (Kraft 2).
When a positive diagnosis is made for Carpal Tunnel syndrome, the treatment of the disease depends on the severity of the disease. Initial treatment of Carpal Tuners syndrome includes rest, application of ice and immobilization of the wrist. A Modification of occupation, stretching exercises of the wrists can also be used to examine the symptoms of the disease. Underlying conditions causing the disease are addressed individually. For example, obese people are advised to lose weight. Medications like corticosteriods, Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs and pyridoxine are effective in treating the metacarpal syndrome (Kraft 2).
Jane is a case example of a patient with metacarpal syndrome caused by repetitive use of her hands in her work that leads to inflammation of the median nerve in her wrist. Symptoms like pain, numbness and weakness of the hand and the wrists are the most common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome that are used in the diagnosis of the disease. Medications like NSAIDS, Corticosteriods, pyrodoxine and work modification are some of the treatments used for Carpal tunnel syndrome. All people who may be experiencing the same symptoms like the ones exhibited by Jane, should seek more information about managing their condition from the website www. Defeatcarpaltunnelsyndrome.com.
Works cited
Kraft, Sy. What is carpal tunnel syndrome? What causes carpal tunnel syndrome? Medical
News Today. 02 April 2010. Web. 27th February 2013.
Medicinenet Inc. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Author 2013. Web . 27th February 2013.
Reed business information. Managing carpal tunnel syndrome at work .Author, 14 February
2011. Web. 27th February 2011.
