Alanoud Abdullah Alharbi, Al Hammam Sultan Yahya M, Zainab S Almeiarfi, Jaffar Mohamed Ali, Anas Mohammed Alomair, Ali Adel Alsakkak, Ali Yousef Alturaifi, Abdulaziz Shalan Alhumaidi, Talal Abdullah Alqarni, Bader Hamdi Binyousef, Abdullah M. Alhalafi

Abstract

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome is identified as an entrapment neuropathy mainly caused by compression of the median nerve when passing through the carpal tunnel of the wrist. This disease is noted a lot in society that it is shown to account for up to 90% of all neuropathies. Patients usually present with pain, numbness, and paresthesia, along with the distribution of the nerve, with variable intensity. Unfortunately, some cases may present with radiation of these symptoms affecting the whole arm. Moreover, this disease has many possible complications such as decreased fine motor coordination, and thenar atrophy, thus early diagnosis and management are crucial. Objectives: We aimed to review the literature reviewing the pathophysiology of carpal tunnel syndrome, clinical features, risk factors, diagnosis, and management of this disease. Methodology: PubMed database was used for articles selection, papers on were obtained and reviewed. Conclusion: Diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome remains the pivotal step in the management of these patients, and thus it had been studied widely for many years. With mainly clinical findings to guide the clinician, simple tests are crucial to identify these patients and to start the management. The mainstay treatment of this condition is a conservative approach if diagnosed early. However, more options are available when conservative management fails, including glucocorticoid usage and surgery. Nevertheless, recurrence is still a major problem with all these treatment options, and many studies are focusing on how to reduce this issue in this population while causing no side effects.