Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a medical condition in which the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to pain, paresthesias, and muscle weakness in the forearm and hand. A form of compressive neuropathy, CTS is more common in women than it is in men, and, though it can occur at any age, has a peak incidence around age 42. The lifetime risk for CTS is around 10% of the adult population.

While the condition was first noted in the medical literature in the early 1900s, the term "carpal tunnel syndrome" wasn't first used until 1938. The pathology was identified by physician George Phalen of the Cleveland Clinic after working with a group of patients in the 1950s and 60s. CTS became widely known to the general public in the 1990s as a result of the significant increase in chronic wrist pain due to the rapid expansion of office jobs. Other conditions may also be misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome.