Causes of CTS - What's the Evidence?
The exact cause of CTS is unknown. The best research done so far suggests that the cause of CTS is genetic (you are born with it) and that hand use (such as typing on a keyboard) does not cause CTS
It can be difficult to prove the cause of a disease.
When the cause is not well understood, a disease is referred to as idiopathic.
deas about what causes a disease can increase illness. t is therefore important to be very careful when speculating about cause.
A study that rated the strength of the evidence for potential causes of carpal tunnel syndrome found moderate strength, consistent evidence that genetic/structural factors are involved and poor and inconsistent evidence that environmental factors (such as hand use) cause carpal tunnel syndrome.
In contrast, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons studied the available evidence and concluded that there was support for hand use causing carpal tunnel syndrome.
This divide among scientists is likely due to a combination of:
- Differences in who was included in the studies. For instance, many included people with pain with hand use. Studies that use objective measures of nerve dysfunction are preferred. Otherwise you are studying subjective symptoms (illness) rather than objective pathophysiology (disease). There is potential for more confusion when we use subjective criteria to diagnose a disease.
- Differences in how the evidence was rated.
Given the potential to create or make an illness worse when blaming human activity, it seems better to ”play it safe” and say that carpal tunnel syndrome is unrelated to hand use.
Curious about other reasons for CTS? Click here.