Carpal tunnel syndrome
Tingling, numbness or pain in the thumb, index and middle fingers, often waking you at night so you shake your hand to get the feeling back. The nerve through the wrist is being squeezed. It is common in pregnancy, with repetitive gripping and in people with diabetes, and many cases settle with simple measures.
Also called carpal tunnel, tingling fingers, numb hand at night, median nerve compression.
Does this sound like you?
- Pins and needles in the thumb and first two or three fingers
- Waking at night and shaking the hand to ease it
- Dropping things, or clumsiness with buttons and small objects
- Worse with gripping, typing or holding a phone for a long time
This is not a diagnosis. Several things cause pain in the same place, which is why the list below matters.
Check these first: when it is not carpal tunnel syndrome
If any of these apply, get checked before you start the exercises.
- Numbness that is constant rather than coming and going
- Weakness, dropping things, or the muscle at the base of the thumb looking thinner
- Symptoms in both hands with neck pain, clumsiness or problems with balance
- It started after an injury to the wrist
The exercises, in the order you would build them up
How long it takes
A wrist splint worn at night, keeping the wrist straight, helps many people within weeks. In pregnancy it usually settles after the birth. If symptoms are constant or getting worse, get it checked rather than waiting.
What the NHS says
The NHS's own pages on this, to check what you have read here against.
Waiting for an appointment?
Kinehub turns this into a daily plan, adjusts it as you improve or struggle, and keeps the record you hand over when you are finally seen.
Keep reading
More for the elbows & wrists
- Guide · 3 minSetting up your deskScreen, chair, keyboard and laptop set-up from the HSE's guidance, and why moving often matters more than one perfect posture.
- Guide · 6 minUnderstanding painWhy hurt does not always mean harm, and why that matters when you are deciding whether to move today.
- Article · 9 minBuilding a home exercise programmeHow much, how often, and how to keep going once the novelty wears off — the part that decides whether any of it works.
A daily plan for carpal tunnel syndrome
Kinehub turns these exercises into a short daily session with a demo for each one, and tracks your pain before and after so you can see whether it is working. Free to start.
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