Rheumatoid Arthritis Carpal Tunnel - What Is The Connection?
What is the connection of rheumatoid arthritis carpal tunnel? Before we answer this question let us take a look at each separately. There is a connection, however they are two very different health issues. In order to understand how they are connected you will need background information on both rheumatoid arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
We shall begin by discussing rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that affects the joints. For some reason the immune system attacks the joints and the organs. The reason for the immune system's attack is still unknown. One possibility is that there is an infection or bacteria in the joints and the immune system attacks the infection or bacteria as well as the infection. The joints become inflamed and eventually damaged due to the extra cells from the immune system and the inflammation. Due to the joint damage there is joint pain and swelling, stiffness, and fatigue.
There is no complete cure for this disease, however there are medications that can help to relieve the pain, exercise and rest will help and surgery can be done to correct damaged joints.
Now let us look at carpal tunnel syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by tingling, numbness, and/or weakness in the thumb, fingers, hand, and sometimes the arm. This is caused by a large amount of pressure being put on the median nerve in the wrist.
Many things can play a factor in creating this condition: repeated hand and wrist movement, build up of fluid in the carpal tunnel, broken wrist bones, bone growth, or dislocated bones, tumors or growths, aging of the tissues in the wrist, smoking, or conditions and illnesses, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Now that you know about the affects that rheumatoid arthritis and you know about the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome you can probably put two and two together. Rheumatoid arthritis causes swelling in the joints. If the wrist joint is swollen then there is pressure on the median nerve and carpal tunnel syndrome occurs. So the connection of rheumatoid arthritis carpal tunnel is swelling which equals pressure.
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