Can Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Cause a Weakened Grip ?
If you’ve been noticing a weaker grip lately, this doesn’t necessarily point to carpal tunnel syndrome, though this condition CAN cause a weakened grip.
In fact, carpal tunnel syndrome can weaken the grip enough to cause difficulty picking up small objects, making a fist or conducting tasks that require a good solid grip.
“CTS can definitely cause a weakened grip because the median nerve innervates the muscles on the thumb side of the hand — and the thumb is extremely important in all grip types,” says Logan Thomas, PT, DPT, based in Muncie, IN.
Dr. Logan adds, “When a nerve is compressed, it decreases the strength of the signal that reaches the muscles.”
Median nerve compression in carpal tunnel syndrome. Scientific Animations
Other Conditions that Can Weaken the Grip
• ALS. Unlike the conditions listed below, this disease will progress to other parts of the body, eventually weakening and paralyzing the entire body.
A grip that’s been weak for months on end, with NO other symptoms, is likely one of the conditions below.
• Pronator syndrome. Think of carpal tunnel syndrome but a little higher up.
Pronator syndrome
• Cervical radiculopathy. The problem originates in the nerves located in the neck, which branch down and ultimately reach the hand.
A “pinched nerve” in the neck can weaken the grip.
Cervical radiculopathy. Mikael Häggström, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
• Medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow). The weakness is not inherent in the hand or wrist; rather, the pain in the elbow prevents full gripping action.
Golfer’s elbow
• Ulnar nerve palsy (e.g., cubital tunnel syndrome). The ulnar nerve is the “funny bone” nerve in the elbow.
Ulnar nerve. BruceBlaus
• Brachial plexus injury/disorder. The brachial plexus nerves that arise in the neck and feed down to the hand can be subject to injury.
• Median nerve palsy. The median nerve runs the length of the arm.
• Radial neuropathy. The radial nerve runs the length of the arm.
There are many nerve conditions aside from the above that can weaken the grip, but they will also affect other parts of the body.
Carpal tunnel syndrome classically also causes pain in the wrist, plus tingling and numbness in the thumb, index and middle finger and part of the ring finger.
Dr. Thomas a physical therapist, and strength and conditioning coach who is passionate about patient education. He believes the most important and often overlooked step in the process to becoming pain-free is understanding the anatomy and biomechanics of your body.
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.
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Top image: Shutterstock/ LI Cook
Sources:
medstarwashington.org/our-services/orthopaedics/conditions/hand-and-elbow-conditions/#q={}
ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome-Fact-Sheet
healthhype.com/hand-weakness-weak-hand-grip-causes-and-normal-strength.html
Hard Lump Inside Nose: Many Causes Including Cancer
Your suspicion is correct:
A hard lump inside your nose can be cancer — and there are numerous different kinds of cancers that can cause a self-detected lump or bump inside the nose. (more…)
Do Sinus Headaches Always Come with Nasal Mucus?
You may be wondering if a sinus headache is necessarily accompanied by excess mucus from your nose.
Perhaps the absence of mucus has you worrying that your “sinus feeling” headache is actually a brain tumor. (more…)
Can Cancer Cause a Burning Feeling Inside the Nose?
Though a burning feeling inside the nose isn’t all that uncommon, neither is the No. 3 killer of Americans: cancer.
So it stands to reason that one might wonder if cancer can cause a burning feeling in the nose. (more…)
Can Muscle Twitching Be Caused By Gluten Intolerance?
Chronic muscle twitching (fasciculations) at various locations of the body can actually be caused by a gluten intolerance, and the effective treatment could be an elimination of gluten. (more…)
Botox: Effective Treatment for Benign Fasciculation Syndrome
The botulinum toxin type A, aka Botox, has been shown to be effective at treating benign fasciculation syndrome (BFS). (more…)
22 Diseases that Mimic ALS Symptoms, Can Lead to Misdiagnosis
There are far more conditions that mimic ALS than you can imagine: at least 22.
“Potentially curative treatments exist for certain ALS mimic syndromes,” states a report in the Iranian Journal of Neurology (April 2016), “but delay in starting these therapies may have an unfavorable effect on outcome.”
ALS Mimic Syndrome
ALS mimic syndrome refers to a group of medical conditions whose clinical presentation resembles those of ALS in the latter’s early stages.
The IJN points out that there have been only a few studies published regarding ALS mimic syndrome.
According to population based studies, nearly 10 percent of people diagnosed with ALS have actually had a different medical condition.
Diseases that Mimic ALS and Their ALS-Like Symptoms
• Adrenomyeloneuropathy – lower leg stiffness and partial paralysis
• Adult polyglucosan body disease – progressive muscle weakness and stiffness
• Allgrove AAA syndrome – atrophy, muscle weakness, movement problems
• B12 deficiency – muscle weakness, problems with walking
• Benign monomelic amyotrophy – atrophy and weakness of one limb; fasciculations; possibly reduced reflexes
• Celiac disease – atrophy, weakness, fasciculations
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease – atrophy, fasciculations
• Inclusion body myositis – asymmetric weakness, difficulty swallowing
• Isaac’s disease – atrophy, weakness, fasciculations, diminished reflexes
• Isolated neck extensor myopathy – weak neck muscles
• Kennedy’s disease – atrophy and weakness of facial, bulbar and limb girdle muscles; tremor; fasciculations near the mouth
• Lyme disease – weakness, fasciculations
• Mitochondrial disorder – atrophy, weakness, fasciculations
• Multifocal motor neuropathy with conduction block – focal weakness; fasciculations
• Multiple sclerosis – limb weakness, unsteady gait, slurred speech
• Myasthenia gravis – muscle weakness, trouble chewing and swallowing
• Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy – bulbar weakness
• Overactive thyroid – weakness, fasciculations
• Paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis – unsteady gait leading to paralysis; slurred speech; trouble swallowing
• Post-polio syndrome – atrophy, weakness, problems swallowing
• Syringomyelia – atrophy and weakness
• Transthyretin familial amyloid neuropathy – tongue atrophy and fasciculations
Considerations
All of the aforementioned conditions present with at least one symptom that is seen with ALS.
Some of the conditions eventually present with symptoms totally unrelated to neuromuscular function, and in other cases may present with those symptoms right from the get-go.
So nothing’s engraved in stone here; variability is high.
The mimicking nature of these disorders is apparent mostly in their early stages before the more non-relevant symptoms start popping up such as bowel and bladder dysfunction, rapid heart rate, vision problems and cognitive impairment, to name a few.
As mentioned, there’s much variation involved. For instance, in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy, the eyelids are usually affected – but in ALS they are not.
But there are cases of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy in which eyelid involvement is minimal, and most of the weakness is seen in the bulbar region, making this disease a potential mimicker of bulbar-onset ALS.
Another consideration is that the more progressed the above disorders become, the less they resemble ALS, especially ALS in its early stages.
The longer the time lapse, the more apparent the differences become in symptoms and clinical presentation.
- For example, some of the diseases have a very slow progression.
- Another example is benign monomelic amyotrophy: The pathology remains in just one limb.
Benign fasciculation syndrome mimics ALS more so in the petrified mind of the patient rather than to the neurologist.
The Iranian Journal of Neurology goes on to point out that fasciculations with motor neuron disease are asymptomatic and that the patient is unaware of them until the physician detects them.
“They are diffuse and rarely are the presenting symptom,” states the paper.
“Muscle fasciculation without weakness should be considered a benign phenomenon,” continues the Journal, “although follow-up (sometimes 6 months or more), might be required to confirm benign nature of that.”
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.
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Sources
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4912674/ ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/adult-polyglucosan-body-disease
rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/457/triple-a-syndrome
webmd.com/diet/vitamin-b12-deficiency-symptoms-causes#2-6
jnnp.bmj.com/content/75/suppl_2/ii43
rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/6793/isaacs-syndrome
tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/21678421.2014.980614
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-polio-syndrome/symptoms-causes/dxc-20314513
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4746052/
pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7f32/c57551bfb64dc687c96ee1ca0302cac7541c.pdf
jmedicalcasereports.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1752-1947-7-218
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/dxc-20131884
lymedisease.org/lyme-basics/lyme-disease/about-lyme/
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myasthenia-gravis/symptoms-causes/dxc-20200262
Throwing up in the Mouth While Asleep: Benign Cause, Solutions
Throwing up in the mouth while asleep or overnight is not a literal vomiting up of contents from the stomach in the way you would after eating bad meat or from a bad reaction to a drug. (more…)
Why You Have Constipation after Gallbladder Surgery
Constipation after removal of the gallbladder is actually common, and is not an indication that something went wrong during the surgery.
For the procedure, an anesthetic is required to paralyze the bowel so that the gallbladder can be removed.
The paralysis of the bowel (sounds worse than it actually is) is what may cause constipation following gallbladder removal.
This side effect may last a week or more.
An indirect cause of constipation following gallbladder removal “is a side effect of anesthesia or pain medications one takes after an operation,” says Dr. Baig.
If the patient is on narcotic painkillers such as Percocet or Vicodin, these may cause slower movement of the bowel — leading to constipation.
To combat backed-up stools or stools that are hard and difficult to void, the patient can take Colace, Metamucil or milk of magnesia.
In addition they can drink a juice that contains fiber — such as apple, prune, carrot, papaya and orange (with pulp — to improve bowel movements.
Dr. Baig’s specialties include gastrointestinal cancers and liver disease, plus gallbladder, biliary tract and pancreatic disorders. He is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
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.
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Top image: Shutterstock/nhungboon
Source: oregonsurgical.com/patient-info/instructions/gallbladder-removal/
Labyrinthitis vs. Brain Tumor Symptoms Comparison
Yes, there’s overlap with the symptoms of labyrinthitis and a brain tumor.
A brain tumor can cause so many more symptoms than what is typically described in pamphlets.
The vast array of symptoms that a brain tumor can cause is why there’s a symptom overlap into so many other conditions — including very benign.
This fact is frustrating to no end for people suffering from health anxiety and even those without HA.
The labyrinth is an inner ear structure that helps control one’s balance.
“Itis” means inflamed, so labyrinthitis is inflammation of this tiny structure.
Symptoms of Labyrinthitis (Vestibular Neuritis)
• Vertigo: sudden sensation of the room spinning or moving, which can make you unsteady on your feet. In severe cases walking is not possible.
• The vertigo can cause nausea and even vomiting.
• Hearing loss
• Tinnitus (“ringing” in the ears; persistent high frequency pitch, tone or hissing sound)
• Visual problems
• Difficulty with concentration
• Symptom onset is usually sudden—so much so that it’s common for alarmed sufferers to head to an ER or see their doctor the day of the sudden onset.
• After a flash-in-the-pan onset, the symptoms gradually dwindle, but the vertigo can become chronic on a lower scale if there was damage to the vestibular nerve—giving the patient a persistent feeling of feeling not very well.
Labyrinthitis normally resolves on its own, taking several weeks, when caused by a virus (most cases are). When bacteria is a cause, antibiotics can be prescribed.
Now here’s the first problem when it comes to comparing labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis to a brain tumor:
There is no specific test for diagnosing labyrinthitis. Like the vexing condition of irritable bowel syndrome, the diagnosis is one of exclusion.
Thus, the physician must eliminate differentials or other possible causes of the symptoms.
This includes a brain tumor and even a stroke, side effects of drugs and anxiety.
This is nerve-racking for the patient, because initially, they may have figured that some in-office test would quickly confirm vestibular neuritis.
But they will walk out of the initial doctor’s visit without a confirmed diagnosis of this benign condition, and will still be fearful that “it” might be a brain tumor.
Brain Tumor Symptom Overlap with Labyinthitis
• Vertigo
• Trouble walking due to balance issues
• Nausea, vomiting
• Hearing loss
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Visual problems
• Difficulty with concentration
Some Considerations
You’re going to like this: The type of brain tumor that classically causes hearing loss and tinnitus – and may also cause issues with vertigo and balance – is benign! It cannot metastasize.
It’s called acoustic neuroma and can be easily confirmed with an MRI. When it causes troublesome symptoms, there are several options for treatment including transcanal removal.
Source:: Blausen.com
A common feature of labyrinthitis that is not common in brain tumors is a sudden onset of marked symptoms.
A person with a malignant brain tumor isn’t going to be feeling great all along, then awaken next day with multiple severe symptoms.
Typically, symptoms from a brain tumor are gradual in progression, rather than suddenly you’re vomiting, can’t stay steady on your feet, have trouble seeing and can’t concentrate — all in one big bang.
As for the other overlapping symptoms, there’s no way around it: Brain tumors are notorious for causing nausea, vomiting and of course, visual disturbances and trouble concentrating.
A thorough workup is required to uncover the causes of these symptoms.
If the patient is experiencing all or even most of them, there’s an increased possibility that two conditions – unrelated to each other – are present.