Which term describes a nerve compression disorder at the wrist?

Which term describes a nerve compression disorder at the wrist?

• A. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• B. Tennis Elbow
• C. Dupuytren's Contracture
• D. Ganglion

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is identifying a nerve compression problem at the wrist, specifically when the median nerve is squeezed as it runs through the carpal tunnel. When the nerve is compressed there, you typically get numbness, tingling, and sometimes pain in the thumb, index, and middle fingers, often worse at night. Weakness in the thumb muscles can also occur, making grip feel weak. This combination of symptoms and the location point to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Other options describe different problems: Tennis elbow is an overuse injury at the elbow affecting the tendons, not a nerve compression at the wrist. Dupuytren's contracture involves thickening of the palmar fascia that pulls the fingers into flexion, not nerve compression. A ganglion is a cyst that can appear on the wrist but is a fluid-filled lump rather than a nerve compression disorder.

The idea being tested is identifying a nerve compression problem at the wrist, specifically when the median nerve is squeezed as it runs through the carpal tunnel. When the nerve is compressed there, you typically get numbness, tingling, and sometimes pain in the thumb, index, and middle fingers, often worse at night. Weakness in the thumb muscles can also occur, making grip feel weak. This combination of symptoms and the location point to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Other options describe different problems: Tennis elbow is an overuse injury at the elbow affecting the tendons, not a nerve compression at the wrist. Dupuytren's contracture involves thickening of the palmar fascia that pulls the fingers into flexion, not nerve compression. A ganglion is a cyst that can appear on the wrist but is a fluid-filled lump rather than a nerve compression disorder.