I had my hands numb for many years but thought it was just due to age, so I didn't treat it. Until my hands gradually weakened, I couldn't carry heavy objects, and even couldn't hold my grandchild, I decided to go to the hospital.
That is the sharing of a 58-year-old woman in Hung Yen when she came for examination at Thanh Nhan Hospital in a state of numbness and prolonged pain in both hands.
According to the patient, initially the numbness only appears fleetingly at the fingertips, especially increasing at night.
Over time, the symptoms of stinging and burning pain became increasingly obvious, causing her to often lose sleep, reduce her ability to grasp objects and encounter many difficulties in daily life.
What worries her the most is that her hands are getting weaker and weaker, even holding a small grandchild cannot be done as before.
After clinical examination combined with in-depth functional exploration, doctors of the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Thanh Nhan Hospital determined that the patient had wrist canal syndrome on both sides, in which one side had progressed to a severe level with obvious damage to the central nerve.
According to MSc. Dr. Ha Van Tuan, Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Thanh Nhan Hospital, wrist canal syndrome is a condition in which the central nerve is compressed when passing through the wrist canal. This is a fairly common disease but is often overlooked because many people think that hand numbness is just a manifestation of age or overwork.
Doctors said that if not detected and treated promptly, patients may gradually lose the ability to hold, atrophy the muscles at the base of the thumb and significantly affect the quality of life.
In cases where the nerve has been compressed for a long time like the patient above, continuing to delay treatment risks reducing hand function and leaving irreversible nerve damage. When the damage has progressed severely, even after compression surgery, complete recovery may not be achieved.
Faced with the risk of long-term effects on motor function, doctors have indicated surgery to release the wrist tube to reduce pressure on the central nerve.
After intervention, the pain and numbness were significantly reduced, hand movement function was improved, and grasping ability gradually recovered. The patient said that the aching sensation at the fingertips was almost gone, and the numbness also gradually decreased after surgery.
According to Thanh Nhan Hospital, about 70-80% of people with wrist canal syndrome are women, the disease is common in the age group of 40 - 60. In recent years, the disease has tended to increase due to the use of computers, smartphones and jobs that require repetitive wrist manipulation.
In addition, diabetes, hypothyroidism and rheumatoid arthritis are also factors that increase the risk of the disease.
Doctors recommend that people should see a specialist when signs such as numbness in the thumb, index finger or middle finger appear; wrist and hand pain, especially increasing at night; reduced grip force, frequent dropping of objects; weak hand or atrophy of the base muscle of the thumb. Early detection and treatment helps prevent prolonged neurological damage, preserve the motor function of the hand and improve the quality of life.
