03 / Understand the area
Palm side of the wrist
A sore wrist and a tingling hand are different symptoms. Knowing which is most troublesome helps focus the assessment.
An educational guide for either side of the body. Location alone cannot tell us the cause of a symptom.
A useful starting point
What this area can tell you.
Carpal tunnel syndrome involves the median nerve at the wrist and can cause symptoms in the thumb, index and middle fingers and part of the ring finger. Pain on the palm side alone is not enough to identify it. Tendons, joints and other nerves can produce different patterns. Record which fingers are affected, whether symptoms wake you and whether you are dropping objects. An examination should address sensation and strength as well as local tenderness.
Notice the pattern
Three questions to bring with you.
You don’t need to work out a diagnosis before a visit. These details can help you describe what you’re experiencing.
- Which fingers tingle, and is the little finger involved or unaffected?
- Do symptoms wake you at night or appear during particular hand positions?
- Have opening containers, fastening buttons or holding small objects become harder?
When to get help sooner
New persistent numbness or increasing hand weakness needs prompt assessment. A cold, pale or blue hand, or severe pain and swelling after injury, needs urgent medical care.
Follow the connection
Possible explanations. Better questions.
These guides explore conditions or patterns that may overlap with this area. They are starting points for a conversation, not a list of diagnoses that can be confirmed from a body map.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Hand tingling, median nerve compression and the importance of recognizing weakness.
Read the guide Condition guideArm & leg pain
Local joint and muscle symptoms versus pain traveling along a nerve.
Read the guide Condition guideNeck pain
Stiffness, referred pain and nerve symptoms: understand the questions an examination should answer.
Read the guideRead the result with its limits
How the research fits this area.
The trial compared night splints with steroid injection for mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome. Outcomes were similar at 12 and 24 months; severe nerve compression and chiropractic treatment were not studied.
How we select and explain sources ↗Follow the evidence
Research, with context.
Published sources behind the discussion. Read the findings alongside the limits; a study is not a diagnosis or a promise of a result.
The effectiveness of corticosteroid injection versus night splints for carpal tunnel syndrome: 24-month follow-up of a randomized trial
Follow-up of 234 adults randomized to injection or night splinting for mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome.
What it foundSymptom, function and pain scores did not significantly differ between the groups at 12 or 24 months.
What it cannot tell usAbout 71–73% responded at 24 months. Severe carpal tunnel syndrome was outside this comparison, which did not test chiropractic treatment.
Publication details & citation
Burton et al. The effectiveness of corticosteroid injection versus night splints for carpal tunnel syndrome: 24-month follow-up of a randomized trial. Rheumatology. 2023. DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac219.
Read the publication record
Read our editorial policy for how sources and clinical review are identified.
Your next step
Bring your questions.
We’ll start there.
An assessment can help clarify the pattern, discuss suitable care, and identify when another clinician should be involved.
Anatomy: BodyParts3D, © DBCLS, CC BY 4.0. Model & rendering credits. Return to the full body explorer.