ARC - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal' is a medical term which refers to the wrist. A 'syndrome' is a combination of problems which doctors recognise as a particular disease or disorder. The 'carpal tunnel' lies in the wrist and the tendons which run down from the muscles in the forearm to move the fingers pass through it. The carpal tunnel also contains an important nerve called the median nerve. This nerve controls some of the muscles which move the thumb. It also carries information back to the brain about sensations you feel in your thumb and fingers – particularly the index, middle and (occasionally) the ring fingers. In carpal tunnel syndrome the median nerve gets squeezed – often because the tendons become swollen and overfill the tunnel – and this causes the symptoms described in this link.

The link address is: http://www.arc.org.uk/about_arth/booklets/6008/6008.htm