BSC 1085C Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Acromegaly, Orthopedic Surgery, Amyloidosis
Document Summary
Carpal tunnel syndrome develops when a large nerve the median nerve is compressed inside the wrist. This nerve controls feeling in the thumb, index finger and thumb side of the ring finger. The median nerve also controls the muscles at the base of the thumb. The condition gets its name from the eight carpal bones that surround the median nerve in the wrist, forming a tunnel to the hand. The tunnel is just big enough for the median nerve and several tendons to run through it. Anything that makes the tunnel smaller (such as arthritis) or makes the tendons larger (such as thickening of the tendon linings) can cut off the circulation to the nerve. When this happens, you notice pain, numbness and tingling in your fingers. Carpal tunnel syndrome can also be caused by underlying medical conditions including: rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism and, less often, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, pregnancy, amyloidosis, acromegaly, systemic lupus erythematosus.
