As a hand therapy specialist 50-75% of the people seen have varying forms of
carpal tunnel.  I can lead to permanent nerve damage so do not treat it
lightly.
Imagine your  carpal bones, nerves, arteries, veins, etc.in the wrist canal
as a can of Vienna sausages. The softest thing in that canal is the median
nerve.
It is very common before during and after pregnancy and is associated with
overuse of your hands.  It can even irritate the median nerve up the forearm
so the wrist braces, and straight wrists although often helpful might not
help. Anything pressing on the forearm may irriate it. Can she postion the
baby without using the arms at all?Sometimes it even is caused by the elbow
being bent. An ice compress placed on the carpal tunnel for 10 minutes 3-6X
a day can help. Massage, ultrasound, and iontophoresis can also help.  A lot
of times once the pain is managed strenghtening is very helpful.  A PT of OT
who is a certified hand specialist (CHT) is someone who specializes in
treating this very thing. A cortizone shot can be helpful but should only be
used as a last resort before surgery.

Jill Andrews OTR,CHT,LLLL

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