Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Why Your Hand Goes Numb at Night

If you wake in the night needing to shake your hand to get rid of pins and needles, or your fingers go numb while you are holding a phone or riding a two-wheeler, there is a good chance you are dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome. It is extremely common, often ignored for too long, and usually very treatable.

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passage at the wrist through which the median nerve travels into the hand. When the tunnel becomes crowded and the nerve is squeezed, the hand pays the price. The classic symptoms are tingling and numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers, often worse at night, along with a weak grip and a tendency to drop things. People frequently describe waking up and having to shake the hand to bring it back to life.

It is more common than people realise, and certain groups are more affected — those who do a lot of repetitive hand work, people with diabetes or thyroid problems, and women during pregnancy. Sometimes there is no obvious reason at all.

When caught early, simple measures often help. A wrist splint worn at night keeps the wrist in a neutral position and stops the nerve being compressed while you sleep, which can dramatically reduce the night-time symptoms. Adjusting repetitive activities and treating any underlying condition such as thyroid imbalance also makes a difference. In some cases an injection settles the inflammation.

When symptoms are persistent, when the numbness is constant, or when the muscles at the base of the thumb are starting to waste, surgery is the reliable solution. The carpal tunnel release is a small, quick procedure that opens the tunnel and takes the pressure off the nerve. It is often done as a day case, and the relief from night-time symptoms is usually immediate, with grip strength returning over the following weeks of hand therapy.

Do not push through months of numbness hoping it will pass, because a nerve left compressed for too long recovers less well. A short assessment with the hand surgery team at KT Hospital, Dindigul, will tell you exactly what is going on and the simplest way to fix it.