Carpal Tunnel

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a common condition that causes numbness, tingling, and pain in your hand and wrist. It occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm to the hand, gets compressed.

This condition, also known as median nerve compression, can make everyday tasks like typing, gripping objects, or sleeping comfortably more difficult.

At CAM Medical Group, we provide personalized treatment options to help you find relief and regain comfort in your daily activities. We focus on early diagnosis and proper treatment to help relieve your pain, restore hand function, and prevent long-term nerve damage.

Understanding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in your wrist, surrounded by bones and ligaments, that houses the median nerve. This nerve runs from your forearm into your hand, going through the carpal tunnel, and controls movement and sensation in all your fingers and thumb except the pinky finger.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve becomes compressed or irritated, often due to swelling in the surrounding tissues. This compression can lead to pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in your thumb, index, middle, and part of the ring finger.

Carpal tunnel syndrome affects around 1% to 5% of people in the United States. This condition is rare in kids and usually appears in adults between 40 and 60 years old.

Everyday Challenges with Carpal Tunnel

Carpal tunnel syndrome does not just cause discomfort; it can also significantly interfere with everyday activities that require hand function, grip strength, and fine motor skills.

Many people with carpal tunnel find that routine tasks become frustrating and challenging due to pain and weakness in their hands. Some of the most common challenges include:

Struggling to hold onto everyday items such as a coffee mug, phone, or steering wheel.
Finding activities like buttoning a shirt, writing, typing, or using a smartphone can be clumsy or difficult.
Waking up at night with pain and discomfort, often feeling the urge to shake your hands for relief.
Experiencing limited hand strength, making tasks like opening jars, carrying groceries, or lifting a child painful and difficult.

Over time, these difficulties can impact your overall quality of life, leading to frustration, stress, and even anxiety over losing hand function. Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent long-term nerve damage and restore functionality.

Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome develops gradually and can worsen over time. Common carpal tunnel symptoms may include:

Numbness or tingling in the wrist, hand, or fingers
Pain in the wrist, hand, or fingers
Weak grip strength and difficulty holding objects
Frequent muscle cramps in the hand
Loss of coordination in the fingers
Shaking your hands provides temporary relief in the early stages

You may first notice these symptoms at night; however, as the condition progresses, they can become more persistent and appear during the day. If left untreated, carpal tunnel syndrome can make it harder to perform daily tasks.

Risk Factors of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Several factors may increase your risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. At CAM Medical Group, we provide preventive care and management for underlying conditions that can contribute to it.

Your Gender

Women are more likely to develop carpal tunnel than men due to anatomical differences.

Chronic Health Conditions

Conditions like diabetes, thyroid disorders, and kidney disease can increase the risk of nerve damage. Our physicians offer personalized treatment plans to help manage these chronic conditions and lower your risk.

Inflammatory Conditions

Rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and similar conditions can cause swelling in the wrist, putting pressure on the median nerve. Our team helps manage these conditions to prevent complications and offers treatment options to reduce inflammation and protect nerves.

Obesity

Excess weight can increase the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. Obesity is linked to chronic inflammation and high blood pressure, which can negatively impact nerve health and circulation.

High blood sugar can lead to inflammation and thickening of the tendons within the carpal tunnel, increasing pressure on the median nerve and worsening symptoms.

We provide medical weight loss programs to help you achieve a healthier lifestyle and lower your risk of developing carpal tunnel.

Repetitive Strain & Stress Injuries

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a repetitive motion disorder, often resulting from prolonged or forceful hand and wrist movements. Jobs that involve repetitive gripping, flexing, or vibrating motions, such as typing, construction, and hairstyling, can increase stress on the median nerve over time.

Repeated movements can lead to inflammation and swelling within the carpal tunnel, which may compress the median nerve and cause pain. Additionally, factors such as work technique, intensity, wrist positioning, and underlying health conditions can further increase the risk.

We provide preventive care, ergonomic recommendations, and treatment plans to help protect your wrist health.

Diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

At CAM Medical Group, we provide an accurate diagnosis for carpal tunnel syndrome to ensure you receive the best possible care. Our diagnostic procedure typically involves the following steps.

Medical history review – Our physicians will discuss your symptoms, daily activities, previous injuries, and medical conditions to understand potential risk factors.
Physical examination – We carefully examine your hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, and neck to identify swelling, tenderness, weakness, or restricted movement.
Tinel’s test – Our provider gently taps the median nerve at your wrist to check for tingling, numbness, or discomfort, common signs of nerve compression.
Phalen’s test – You will be asked to hold your wrists flexed to see if it triggers symptoms like numbness or tingling, helping us assess nerve function.
Imaging tests – Depending on your symptoms, we may recommend ultrasound scans to evaluate wrist anatomy, nerve compression, and underlying issues.

Once we confirm a diagnosis, our team will discuss your treatment options, focusing on relieving your symptoms and restoring wrist function.

Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

At CAM Medical Group, we offer effective treatment options to relieve symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and restore hand function. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, we may recommend:

Wrist Splinting – This involves wearing a splint to keep the wrist in a neutral position, which helps reduce pressure on the median nerve. This is especially beneficial at night when symptoms tend to worsen.
Medications – We may recommend anti-inflammatory medications to help manage pain and reduce swelling. Over-the-counter NSAIDs or prescribed medications can provide temporary relief for mild to moderate symptoms.
Lifestyle Adjustments & Ergonomic Support – If your carpal tunnel syndrome is related to repetitive hand movements, we offer ergonomic recommendations to help modify your daily activities and workplace setup. These can include proper keyboard positioning, wrist supports, and movement breaks to reduce strain.
Physical Therapy – Targeted hand and wrist exercises can enhance strength, flexibility, and nerve function. Manual therapy, guided exercises, and nerve gliding techniques can also reduce pressure on the median nerve and promote long-term relief.

Injections & Infiltrations for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Targeted injections for the wrist can help reduce inflammation and relieve pain in cases where other treatments are not enough. Our providers carefully evaluate your symptoms to determine if injections are the right approach for you.

We offer:

Corticosteroid injections – This involves injecting corticosteroid medicine, such as cortisone, near the carpal tunnel to relieve pain. These anti-inflammatory injections help reduce swelling around the median nerve, relieving pressure and alleviating your symptoms and pain.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) injections – HA injections can help lubricate and cushion your joints, reducing friction and discomfort caused by movement. This treatment is particularly beneficial for patients experiencing wrist stiffness or those whose symptoms are aggravated by joint wear and tear.

Our providers use advanced digital imaging, such as ultrasound guidance, to ensure precise injection placement directly into the carpal tunnel. This minimizes discomfort, enhances effectiveness, and ensures the medication is delivered exactly where it is needed for optimal results.

Unlike surgery, which requires incisions and longer downtime, injections are quick, minimally invasive, and require little to no recovery time. If you are looking for a non-surgical option to treat carpal tunnel, our targeted injection treatments may be the right choice for you.

Get Expert Carpal Tunnel Treatment in North & West Chicago

A bad case of carpal tunnel syndrome can make even everyday tasks feel difficult. With the right treatment, you can restore function, reduce discomfort, and protect your wrist health. At CAM Medical Group, our physicians provide targeted and effective treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome.

We are committed to making your experience as easy as possible, so our team is proud to offer bilingual support in English and Spanish. For your convenience, we also offer flexible scheduling options, including Saturday hours and walk-in availability.

To schedule a consultation, walk into our clinic on W Wilson Ave or N Western Ave in Chicago. Alternatively, you can call us or request an appointment online.