What is Carpal Tunnel?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome affects over 60 million people worldwide. Many people refer to the syndrome as just “Carpal Tunnel”. But the truth is this term, “Carpal Tunnel”, refers to an important part of the human anatomy.


Often people mistakenly think that the Tunnel is located in the wrist, because when people feel pain and discomfort from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it is often concentrated in the joint closest to the Tunnel.

However, the narrow passage, known as the Carpal Tunnel, is not in the wrist, it is at the base of the hand next to the wrist.

If you want to understand what is going on with your hand when this condition strikes, you need to understand the anatomy.

There are some basic things everyone should know, if they have pain or numbness in the hands, pain in the wrists, or tingling fingers and are regularly dropping things or have lost sensitivity or fine motor skills in their hands or if they find their hands wake them up in the night.

the location of the carpal tunnel

There are 27 bones in the hand and wrist

bones of the hands and wrist

There are 27 bones in the hand and wrist that are carefully resting proximate to one another cushioned and held together by cartilage, muscle, fascia tissue, tendons and ligaments.

Collectively this web of tissue which holds the bones of the hands and wrists together is referred to as “Soft Tissue” because it generally does not show up on an X-Ray image.

This network of soft tissue forms the flexible cushioning system that prevents bone on bone grinding and severe pain in the hands or wrists that can result from bone to bone contact.

The Carpal Tunnel is a narrow protective passage formed by this remarkable combination of soft tissue and hard bones.

It is about the size of a thumb nail in most people, but the size can vary widely between people. The size of the passage is determined by your genes.

What does the Carpal Tunnel look like?

This protective chamber, known as the Carpal Tunnel,  is extremely important to healthy hand function, because it houses the Median Nerve, tendons and blood vessels. These, in turn, provide nourishment, movement, muscle control, sensitivity and touch to the fingers, palm, hand and wrist.

The hard protective walls are made up of eight small bones forming the Carpal Arch on three sides and the largest and strongest ligament of the hand, the Transverse Carpal Ligament, forms the final passage wall on the palm side at the base of the hand.

carpal tunnel anatomy diagram

When conversing with doctors or a surgeon, it can be good to know the other names that they sometimes use to refer to this ligament. These include: Flexor Retinaculum or Anterior Annular Ligament.

The Transverse Carpal Ligament forms the final wall of the Carpal Tunnel

The Transverse Carpal Ligament has been likened to a “nylon rope” in its general composition and strength.

It is made of strong fibrous tissue and connected directly to the surrounding bones. It is the largest and strongest ligament of the hand and provides grip strength and stability to the whole hand from the base.

Most individuals take the remarkable dexterity and grip strength of their hand’s functioning parts for granted, often sitting and typing away for hours at their keyboards worry-free. They just expect those hands to work as their hands have always worked for them since their birth.

In general, folks don’t care about the anatomy of their hands or wrists until something goes wrong.

This is common with most health issues.

“The fact that many chronic CTS sufferers get relief from numbness in just a few days while applying Carpal Solution therapy is nothing short of amazing.”

Order Your Six Week Carpal Tunnel Treatment Now

The most common ailment that affects the Transverse Carpal Ligament, this critical passage in the hand, in fact, is known as CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome). It is caused when the Median Nerve is pinched against the hard walls or the tendons which also run through the Tunnel.

There are multiple issues that can lead to increased pressure on the Median Nerve.

For example injured soft tissue can contract, pinching the nerve.

One or more of the tendons passing through the tunnel can swell putting pressure on the nerve.

Lymphatic fluid can also build up from injured tissue or generated by other physiological ailments, such as menopause, creating pinching pressure in this narrow space.

More detail can be learned about the causes of this painful and frustrating condition here.

what is carpal tunnel

Gentle Stretching for 224 Hours Over 6 Weeks

Is the Best First Line Treatment

carpal tunnel anatomy diagram

The muscles of the thumb rest right on the Transverse Carpal Ligament right over the Median Nerve. It is important to understand this juxtaposition when it comes to treating this dreadful hand condition.

Looking at the cross-sectional diagram of the base of the hand above, it is not hard to imagine how stretching the thumb muscle in the right way could relieve pressure on the Median Nerve biomechanically.

With this in mind you can understand how gentle consistent stretching therapy is the best first line of defense for relieving pressure on the Median Nerve from any cause.

It is important that any stretching in this area be gentle and consistent for a long time in the correct direction. We find that it is best to stretch gently for eight hours during sleep while the hand is relaxed and the body is in a restorative state. This “slow and steady approach” is a much more effective treatment protocol, than high pressure or rapid intense stretching for a few minutes during the day.

There are a lot of moving parts operating in this tight space, so you have to get it right with a device that has been specially designed to stretch gently in the right directions. Once the pressure is relieved through gentle stretching therapy for eight hours each night, and for 28 nights over the six week protocol; the flexibility is restored to the soft tissue, circulation gets back to normal and your body gets back to its natural healing process. The cycle is broken and the syndrome can disappear for up to eight years after completing the six week Carpal Tunnel stretching protocol.

doctor examining patient for carpal tunnel
hand pain due to carpal tunnel

Diagnosing this syndrome can be tricky. It can present itself with many different symptoms and most people are often confused by what might be causing their Carpal Tunnel Symptoms. Even doctors are sometimes confused by the symptoms and misdiagnose these symptoms until a Nerve Conductivity Study is performed.

The picture of the hand to the left, shows the pathway of the Median Nerve, so you know what part of the hand is usually affected when the Median Nerve is pinched. You can learn about the most common Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome to help you with a self-diagnosis prior to being diagnosed by a physician.

Everyone with this condition tends to have their own unique combination of symptoms and responds to therapy on a different timetable, but the one thing that most have in common is that they need to get relief without resorting to surgery.

Fortunately, you can easily access reliable Carpal Tunnel Treatment in a Six Week Home Therapy that is relatively inexpensive and works for over 97% of people.

The Carpal Solution was developed by a doctor working with patients and is shipped worldwide from warehouse locations in the USA, Europe, Japan and Brazil. We are adding new warehouses and distributors all over the globe to make it easy for anyone, anywhere to obtain natural relief from CTS.

The treatment allows individuals to put their Carpal Tunnel Syndrome into remission and avoid the risks and potential complications of severing the Transverse Carpal Ligament in a surgical procedure.

Order Your Six Week Carpal Tunnel Treatment Now

Should I consider surgery?

The surgical procedure is definitely a last resort treatment for most people due to many factors. Some of the long term problems associated with Carpal Tunnel Surgery are permanent loss of grip strength and often offers little to no improvement in the Carpal Tunnel Condition after surgery.

But the biggest concern with surgery is the fact that Carpal Tunnel comes back even after a successful surgery, often requiring a repeat procedure.

Surgery is a bad option for any almost any condition, if it has to be repeated.

You can learn more about the prognosis of Carpal Tunnel Surgery.

numb hands at night

It is interesting that there are eight small bones that combine to form the Carpal Arch. Doctors have to memorize these in medical school. For those who are interested in the names of the bones of the Carpal Arch and the relative position, here is a brief synopsis:

The eight bones that make up the Carpal Arch are listed in two rows.

The Proximal Row which includes: the Scaphoid, the Lunate, the Triquetrum and the Pisiform.

The second row of bones is The Distal Row, which includes: the Trapezium, the Trapezoid, the Capitate and the Hamate.

As with every aspect of the hand, the left hand is a mirror image of the right hand, and it is the same with the anatomy of the Carpal Tunnel.

In this website you can learn everything you need to know for diagnosing and treating this painful syndrome.

The Carpal Solution has been used by over 50,000 people in over 30 countries to eliminate numbness in hands during sleep. We continue to get a 97% success rate among patients.

Neurologist call the Carpal Solution a better first line of treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Patients simply call it: “My Carpal Tunnel Cure!”

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Call Toll Free and Talk to Our Knowledgeable Representatives at 1-800-798-5210

“After 20 years of suffering with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, I had tried everything short of surgery, My father had Carpal Tunnel Surgery and it did not work, so I was determined to find another way. I found the Carpal Solution on the internet and It has saved my career in music. I recommend it to anyone with CTS, it is the only treatment that works consistently.”


Doctor Pollard explains Carpal Tunnel & shares his story and why he recommends the Carpal Solution to his Patients.

Doctor Perrone talks about Carpal Tunnel – Shares Insights & common fears. As a Dentist with Carpal Tunnel, She faced early retirement.