Steroid injections may relieve arthritic carpel tunnel syndrome

When it comes to getting long-term relief from the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome, researchers in Madrid Spain have discovered that surgery to reduce pressure on the median nerve surpasses steroid injections to diminish swelling around the nerve.

According to a recent article published in the May/June issue of Arthritis Today, that news may not apply to you if carpel tunnel syndrome develops because of your inflammatory form of arthritis.

In a study of people with primary carpel tunnel syndrome, those who received steroid injections were more likely to have pain, weakness and numbness than those who had the surgery.

 “The patients with primary carpal tunnel syndrome ultimately will do best with surgery, justifying surgery at an earlier time for them,´ said Dr. Eric Matteson, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

“If you have rheumatoid arthritis or another type of arthritis that is causing carpel tunnel syndrome, you may be better off trying a steroid injection before deciding surgery.  It often can relieve the swelling in the wrist that affects the nerve,” he said.

Arthritis is the nation’s most common cause of disability with a nationwide economic impact of more than $128 billion annually.  The condition strikes all ages and knows no racial or ethnic bounds.  Forty-six million people have been doctor diagnosed and 300,000 children are affected.

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