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Carpal tunnel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Carpal tunnel | |
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| Carpal tunnel | |
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| Transverse section across the wrist and digits. (The median nerve is the yellow dot near the center. The carpal tunnel is not labeled, but the circular structure surrounding the median nerve is visible.) | |
| Latin | canalis carpi |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | c_04/12208551 |
- This article is about the connective tissue. For the song by Fall Out Boy, see The Carpal Tunnel of Love. For the syndrome, see Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
In the human wrist there is a sheath of tough connective tissue (the flexor retinaculum) which envelops and protects several structures. The carpal tunnel is the space between this sheath (above) and the bones (below) making up the wrist and hand (carpal bones).
Contents |
- Median nerve
- Tendons of the following muscles (not the muscles themselves):
The term 'carpal tunnel' is also used quite commonly to refer to 'carpal tunnel syndrome' which is a condition where the median nerve is compressed within the tunnel and causes pain and/or numbness of the wrist/hand, once thought to be a result of repetitive motion such as painting or typing, and sometimes using instruments like drumsticks too much.
The carpal tunnel is important because the median nerve can be compressed in cases such as the following:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Wrist dislocations
- Fractures around the wrist
- Dictionary at eMedicine Carpal+tunnel
- Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 25466.091-1