Carpal Tunnel During Pregnancy

You can sometimes develop pain or numbness in your hands during pregnancy if the blood vessels running through the carpal tunnel in your wrist swell and compress the nerve that also runs through the tunnel.

What are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?

The symptoms are often worse at night or first thing in the morning, but can affect daily activities. They include:

Pain, pins and needles or a tingling, burning sensation usually centred around the thumb, index finder middle finger and the half of your ring finger closest to the thumb. Can also be a ‘glove sensation’ tingling or numbness
Aching in your hand, sometimes into the wrist and lower forearm
A weakened grip, particularly in the thumb
Numbness in the affected fingers or your palm as the condition worsens

What causes it?

You can develop Carpal Tunnel during pregnancy when blood vessels in your wrist swell. As pregnancy progresses, usually from about 5 months, women often get mild swelling in their hands and wrists as well and ankles and feet. This swelling can create pressure in the carpal tunnel, an area of the wrist with tendon and nerves running through it, which can result in some or all of the symptoms mentioned above.

What can I do to relieve the pain?

Most women have symptoms at night. It may be worth buying wrist splints to help stop additional compression of the nerves overnight. Whenever you feel the twinges, shift your sleeping position as this may alleviate a great deal of discomfort. Other tips include:

Try not to sleep on your hands – splints can be useful to prevent this
If you do feel pain while in bed move your hands until the pain or numbness reduces
Flexing your fingers and wrists regularly throughout the day may help, although in some cases it can make it worse – do what works for you
Applying ice, or resting your hands in a basin full of cold water for a few minutes (1 minute on 1 minute off for several repeats) may help decrease swelling.
If possible, avoid jobs that require repetitive hand movements as these may aggravate your symptoms
Sitting with your hands raised, perhaps on a cushion or along the back of a sofa if you are relaxing in the evening may help, as may gentle massage from the wrists towards the elbow joints

It can be helpful to do some light hand and wrist exercises to relieve symptoms - check out exercises link below and pick 2-3 exercises to try each day.

How long will Carpal Tunnel Syndrome last?

Usually the symptoms will settle, along with the swelling, after delivery. If pain persists after your baby is born continue to follow the advice above and get back in contact with your physiotherapist or GP. If you have wrist splints consider continuing to use these for longer tasks such as feeding your baby.