Can Mental Stress Cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Do your fingers tingle when you’re stressed out? Could all your stress actually cause carpal tunnel syndrome to develop?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common disorder.

The carpal tunnel is a narrow “tunnel” that runs through the wrist, surrounded by ligaments and bones.

Through this passageway runs the median nerve.

When this nerve is compressed by the surrounding tissue, this causes the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome: pain, tingling and numbness.

The pain doesn’t always accompany the tingling or numbness.

Weakness can also result.

Being that mental stress is well-known to cause headaches, stomachaches and overall body aches, could it also lead to carpal tunnel syndrome?

“While mental stress can cause physical symptoms, such as tension headaches and muscle pain, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that mental stress can directly cause carpal tunnel syndrome,” says Christopher R. Sforzo, MD, head surgeon and founder, Sforzo Dillingham Stewart Orthopedics + Sports Medicine.

Remember, CTS is the result of a structural defect inside the wrist.

“Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by compression of the median nerve in the wrist, which can result from factors such as repetitive hand and wrist motions or conditions such as arthritis or diabetes,” explains Dr. Sforzo.

Anxiety and stress aren’t going to cause soft tissue to press down on a nerve.

However, chronic stress and anxiety – a chronic state of “fight or flight” – may result in a sensation of tingling in the fingers – all five of them.

In carpal tunnel syndrome, the symptoms occur only in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and part of the fourth finger.

This is because the median nerve distributes out only to those areas.

When the body gears up for a fight or flee from a perceived threat, muscles and arteries tighten.

This restricts blood flow to the hands. During a fight or escape, the organs need a rich blood supply, while the fingers can be spared.

Less blood can create a tingling or numb sensation.

This doesn’t mean carpal tunnel syndrome, though a person can have both CTS and anxiety-induced tingling.

“However, stress may exacerbate symptoms in individuals who already have carpal tunnel syndrome,” says Dr. Sforzo.

Christopher R. Sforzo, MD, is a board certified orthopedic surgeon, providing treatment of problems involving the shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand. He performs many procedures using minimally invasive techniques including endoscopic carpal tunnel release, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, and arthroscopic wrist and elbow procedures.

Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.