Article by Wesley Austin
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of those medical conditions that is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed by general practitioners. Most general practitioners would not have had enough experience with this medical condition to be able to accurately determine if the pains in your hands and wrists are CTS, especially in the early stages. Doctors only receive minimal theory training at university, usually only 30 minutes would be spent on this medical condition.Some doctors would over-diagnose the problem by regarding almost any hand and wrist pains as carpal tunnel. If your symptoms do not resolve the doctor will most likely advise cortisone shots, drug therapy or even invasive surgery.However, the symptoms of carpal tunnel can be the same as many other problems such as strained muscles, pinched nerves, restricted blood circulation or a bone fracture. These problems can be caused by problems further up the arm in the elbow or shoulder regions. And also relieving muscle tensions and pinched nerves can have other benefits including the reduction or elimination of headaches.It is important to correctly diagnose the symptoms of carpal tunnel so that the correct treatment can be applied. Aggressive drug therapy and surgery should only be considered as a last resort after all other avenues of treatment have been exhausted. CTS is caused when the median nerve in the wrist is compressed by the surrounding tissue and bone. This causes sharp shooting pains, tingling
