Can Obesity Lead To Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
"This article aims at explaining the relation between obesity and carpal tunnel syndrome."
Till date carpal tunnel syndrome is more like an unsolved mystery, there have been many theories but none of them have provided a conclusive answer. The most basic definition of carpal tunnel syndrome is that it leads to numbness in fingers, especially the thumb, ring and index finger. Some patients have reported pain too but it is quite uncommon in carpal tunnel syndrome. The reason for CTS lies in the anatomy of carpal tunnel; it’s a narrow passage that acts as a link between fore arm and palm. Some tendons and a median nerve traverse through this narrow passage and when it gets congested, the resulting pressure leads to a compressed median nerve. This compressed median nerve is the reason for carpal tunnel syndrome. In this article we will review obesity as a risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Obesity:
There is substantial recorded data to support this claim, a survey done by a reputed hospital found that over 25 percent of the people who were obese developed carpal tunnel syndrome. Obesity is established by measuring the BMI (Body mass index) of a patient. People who have a body mass index lower than 25 are said to be of normal weight, people having a BMI ranging from 25 to 30 are classified as overweight and those having a body mass index over 30 qualify as obese. Statistics show that a considerable number of patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome were obese i.e. having a body mass index over thirty. However, it was also found in the same study that obesity was not a risk factor for elderly patients primarily over sixty years of age.
- Can weight loss help in treating carpal tunnel syndrome:
The same patients who were classified as obese having carpal tunnel syndrome, were given a three month diet plan. It was done as a part of an experiment to establish whether weight loss will provide any relief to patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. After three months of dieting and other weight loss activities, another survey was conducted on these patients. It was found that with the help of diet plan, these patients achieved their goal of weight loss. Most of the patients were now having a body mass index below thirty, the average was 26. It clearly showed that these patients no longer qualified as obese. But this weight loss didn’t help the patients in relief from the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. This result was in direct contradiction to the fact that obesity can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. This was a dead end for the research as no conclusive link was established between obesity and carpal tunnel syndrome. To explain this contradiction, doctors have suggested that there might be a genetic profile that pre-disposes people to both of these conditions i.e. obesity and carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Does wrist shape have any effect on CTS:
In another study, patients with CTS were examined and their data was compared to those who were not having any of the symptoms. From this study it was concluded that people with a squarer shaped wrist were prone to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Jeff Conley is the founder and contributing author for MyCarpalTunnel.com, the information packed online resource for Carpal Tunnel relief and treatment. To find out more about your options for Carpal Tunnel treatment, including information on Carpal Tunnel Surgery, visit the ultimate Carpal Tunnel Resource today.
Category: Surgery
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