Carpal tunnel syndrome during pregnancy

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What is carpal tunnel syndrome?

The carpal tunnel is located on the palm side of the wrist and is a passage for nerves and tendons that run from the forearm to the hand. If this tunnel becomes too narrow, the median nerve becomes pinched. This causes the typical complaints in your hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome can develop during pregnancy because you more moisture holds and the connective tissue in your arm can expand, reducing the space in the carpal tunnel.

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Symptoms

The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome usually start from the sixth month. In the beginning you mainly have problems at night, later also during the day. The complaints can also lead to sleeping problems.

• Pain, tingling and/or numbness in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and ring finger, but not the little finger.
• Sometimes the pain spreads to the entire upper arm. The tingling always remains limited to the palm side of the hand and the fingers.
• Sometimes also loss of strength, especially in the thumb muscles, or clumsiness (dropping things, difficulty doing up a button, etc.).

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What can you do yourself?

• As much as possible, leave activities that require you to use your wrists and hands, such as typing, wringing, peeling potatoes, long car rides, etc. to others.
• Try not to sleep with a bent wrist. Sleeping with a bent wrist reduces the space in the carpal canal, which makes the pinching of the nerve worse.
• You can (temporarily) experience less discomfort from the complaints if you move your hands intermittently without straining them too much. For example, you can bend and stretch your wrists, make a fist, wave your hands,…
• If you are in a lot of pain, you can use a painkiller (paracetamol).

Treatment

Because the complaints generally disappear after pregnancy, treatment is usually not started.

• A night splint may help. This is a plastic splint that rests the wrist. Wear it at night and, if possible, during the day when doing activities that make your symptoms worse. The symptoms should clearly decrease within four weeks.
• In case of severe complaints, your doctor can give you an injection with a low-dose anti-inflammatory drug.
• If the complaints do not disappear after delivery, surgery may be necessary.

Also read: 7 tips against back pain during pregnancy

Sources:
https://domusmedica.be
www.uzleuven.be
www.uza.be
www.thuisarts.nl