Median nerve compression is a very common disorder. it can get compressed around the elbow, forearm, and wrist. A wrist joint, Median nerve passes through a narrow tunnel, along with tendons for finger movement. There are several ways it can get pinched there and the collective symptoms are called carpal tunnel syndrome

Health conditions like arthritis diabetes are commonly associated with this syndrome. pregnancy causes fluid retention in our body hence causing the nerve to swell and entrap. Repeated and prolonged forceful wrist and hand activity is also increases the chances of median nerve entrapment at wrist.

Carpal tunnel syndrome comprises pain, heaviness, numbness, tingling in your thumb, index, and middle finger. Its starts with occasional symptoms and ends in complete sensory loss. These symptoms are usually worse during the evening and night when you use your hand a lot during day time. Over time your grip get weaker and you tend to drop things.

A detailed history and physical examination is generally required for the diagnosis of nerve entrapment, but your doctor may also order tests like electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction study (NCS), which basically test the function of the median nerve, locate the site of nerve entrapment and also a function of muscles supplied by the nerve

There are nonsurgical ways to relieve symptoms of nerve entrapment by using pain killers, injections at the wrist to reduce swelling and splints but you should always consult your doctor first as splints can also aggravate the entrapment.

Surgical options include releasing of the median nerve at the wrist it’s a daycare procedure that includes giving anesthesia locally on the area being operated, there will be a small cut near the palm and wrist which will be later on closed using a few stitches . The hand will be dressed and a splint will be applied for a few days. After 10 to 12 days all the stitches will be removed and resuming of all activities will be allowed after 2 weeks.

After nerve release, gradual returning of sensation and function of muscles took from a few weeks to a year depending on the severity of initial presentation, the more early the release the better will be the outcome.