2004•Unpublished venueRequires access
CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
Jonathan Barnardo
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Abstract
The classical presentation is of pins and needles and/or numbness or burning sensations in the distribution of the median nerve, initially at night, and then during the day. Weakness, particularly of thumb grip, a history of dropping things, and clumsiness of fine finger function may follow. There is wide variation in the area of distribution of the median nerve, but the little finger is usually excluded: the palm is usually supplied by a superficial branch of the median nerve that leaves the main nerve proximal to the carpal tunnel. The prevalence of CTS in the population is about 3% in women and 2% in men, with a peak prevalence in women >55yrs – the usual age range of CTS is 40–60 years. Patients often report shaking their hand to alleviate the symptoms. The presence of this ‘flick sign’ was found to have a sensitivity and specificity of >90% in one study. Differential diagnosis