The carpal tunnel is a type of passageway inside your wrist. Your median nerve runs through this “tunnel” to your thumb and fingers. Excessive pressure on the median nerve can cause carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), which is characterized by:
- Inability to grip
- Pain, numbness, weakness, and stiffness in the arm, hand, wrist, or fingers
- Tingling, burning, and itching
Sleeping or performing simple activities like brushing your teeth can become painful and difficult due to CTS. If left untreated, the condition can worsen over time and lead to permanent nerve damage.
Traumatic CTS Caused by Car Wrecks
While repetitive motion is a common cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, CTS can also result from a car accident when:
- The hand, arm, or wrist slams into a steering wheel, dashboard, or another hard surface.
- An airbag deploys and strikes the hand, arm, or wrist.
- The driver grips the steering wheel tightly to brace in anticipation of a rear-end or head-on collision.
The trauma of the impact to the wrist and forearm can cause swelling of soft tissues that compress the median nerve, resulting in traumatic or acute CTS.
Medical and Legal Help for Car Accident Injuries
If you suffer CTS as a result of a car accident, you’re entitled to file a claim with your insurance company for:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
Your insurer, however, might dispute your claim and contend that your CTS is the result of repetitive motion over time—not a result of your car crash. To prove your claim for compensation, you’ll need strong medical evidence from a car accident doctor and a convincing presentation of that evidence by an experienced attorney.
Your doctor can utilize a variety of tests to diagnose and document your traumatic CTS:
- Ultrasound
- MRI
- CT scan
- X-rays
An experienced car accident attorney can present this evidence persuasively to your insurance company and call in expert witnesses to give statements on your behalf. You can help your attorney by keeping a daily journal of your:
- Pain and suffering
- Daily activities affected by your CTS
- Comparison of your hand, wrist, and arm function before and after your accident
Have You Sustained CTS in a Twin Cities Car Crash?
Our car accident doctor can alleviate some of the pain of CTS with natural healing techniques. Our free referral service will find you a local physician to treat any injury beyond our scope, as well as an experienced, local car accident lawyer to help you recover fair compensation. Contact us online or call 763-251-PAIN for a free consultation. Just one call puts you two steps closer to justice!
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