Swelling and irritation of the membranes inside the Carpal Tunnel cause the Syndrome.
But what provokes such swelling and inflammation? The most commonly held belief is that CTS is caused by repetitive and forceful grasping of the hand.
Consider the poultry industry worker on a production line whose job consists of making an "L"-shaped cut in chickens as they whiz past on a mechanized chain.
The worker's job is to make the same cut over and over, at least five times a minute as part of the de-boning process.
The result is delicious chicken nuggets and filets.
Human workers are far more efficient than machines - and do a better job of taking all the meat off of the bone.
However, many such workers complain of soreness in the wrist after only a few hours on the job.
Usually they adapt - as their muscles strengthen, much like an athlete's.
However, sometimes the body just can't.
Symptoms of CTS begin to develop.
Another cause of CTS is tiny broken bones.
Occasionally a sufferer has tiny bone chips and unnoticed fragments of the small bones in the wrist.
It is not uncommon for such a break or chip to be ignored, particularly by budget-conscious sufferers who prefer not to rush to the doctor every time they have an ache or a pain.
However, ignoring such a condition can produce the swelling that brings on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Is CTS even caused by repetitive motion? Experts can't agree.
The debate continues whether Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and repetitive tasks are actually related.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a set of rules and regulations regarding repetitive motion disorders.
However, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) says those rules are based on political pressure, not science.
The ASSH says medical science does not currently show a direct relationship between such work activities and the development of CTS.
A review by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that jobs requiring specific wrist postures or repetitive manual acts can be scientifically associated with CTS, but that it is yet to be established that such work actually causes the condition.
Increasingly, however, that's not happening.
Employers are being pro-active, changing the workplace so that employees rotate between jobs - never staying in a position that requires the same repetitive motion day after day for months at a time.
By paying attention to the work conditions, employers eliminate any accusations of negligence.
They also are seeing more productivity - as tasks become less boring, less repetitive and less likely to provoke a worker to try to find creative ways to go on the disabled list.
But what provokes such swelling and inflammation? The most commonly held belief is that CTS is caused by repetitive and forceful grasping of the hand.
Consider the poultry industry worker on a production line whose job consists of making an "L"-shaped cut in chickens as they whiz past on a mechanized chain.
The worker's job is to make the same cut over and over, at least five times a minute as part of the de-boning process.
The result is delicious chicken nuggets and filets.
Human workers are far more efficient than machines - and do a better job of taking all the meat off of the bone.
However, many such workers complain of soreness in the wrist after only a few hours on the job.
Usually they adapt - as their muscles strengthen, much like an athlete's.
However, sometimes the body just can't.
Symptoms of CTS begin to develop.
Another cause of CTS is tiny broken bones.
Occasionally a sufferer has tiny bone chips and unnoticed fragments of the small bones in the wrist.
It is not uncommon for such a break or chip to be ignored, particularly by budget-conscious sufferers who prefer not to rush to the doctor every time they have an ache or a pain.
However, ignoring such a condition can produce the swelling that brings on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Is CTS even caused by repetitive motion? Experts can't agree.
The debate continues whether Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and repetitive tasks are actually related.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a set of rules and regulations regarding repetitive motion disorders.
However, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) says those rules are based on political pressure, not science.
The ASSH says medical science does not currently show a direct relationship between such work activities and the development of CTS.
A review by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that jobs requiring specific wrist postures or repetitive manual acts can be scientifically associated with CTS, but that it is yet to be established that such work actually causes the condition.
Increasingly, however, that's not happening.
Employers are being pro-active, changing the workplace so that employees rotate between jobs - never staying in a position that requires the same repetitive motion day after day for months at a time.
By paying attention to the work conditions, employers eliminate any accusations of negligence.
They also are seeing more productivity - as tasks become less boring, less repetitive and less likely to provoke a worker to try to find creative ways to go on the disabled list.