Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be disabling

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by a pinched nerve in your wrist, often resulting from repetitive motions of the hand. The symptoms of this medical condition are numbness, tingling, and/or weakness in your hand and/or arm. It can also cause difficulty picking up or carrying objects. More severe cases affect both hands and/or both arms.

If you are experiencing numbness or tingling in your hands the first step you should take is contacting your doctor. Depending upon the severity you may want to consider going to the emergency room. Hand numbness could be a result of a very serious medical condition like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or uncontrolled diabetes. There are many reasons you may be experiencing numbness in one or both of your hands. The prudent thing to do would be to consult your physician.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is diagnosed by a review of your symptoms, a physical examination, and most often, through a nerve conduction test called an EMG. An EMG  checks to see how well the electrical impulses are passing through your median nerve. If these electrical impulses are moving at a slower rate, you will be deemed to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome. It will be important to see if your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is mild, moderate or severe. The more severe your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the more restrictive your use of your hands should be. 

It is very important to seek treatment for carpal tunnel. If left untreated, your symptoms of numbness, tingling, and weakness could result in permanent damage to your median nerve. The typical treatment options will depend upon the severity of your condition. If your condition is determined to be mild, your doctor may prescribe activity modification including the use of a wrist brace. For more severe conditions, you may require surgical intervention. In the most extreme cases, you may require multiple surgeries to correct the pinched nerve.

If your doctor determines your hand numbness is due to a medical condition, your next step would be to consider how this would impact your daily life. Will the numbness interfere with your ability to work? Is the numbness likely to go away within a few days or is this a long-term condition? If your answer is yes to any of those questions you should consider applying for social security disability benefits.

Disability benefits are available for people who are unable to work due to a medical condition. If the numbness in your hands is making it difficult if not near impossible to hold onto objects, manipulate items, or even type, then disability might be the right program for you.


If you need helping applying for Social Security Disability or SSI, please contact me at joshben99@gmail.com. I have over 20 years experience with Social Security Disability cases.

Location: Michigan, USA

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