Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

People with MPS I sometimes experience pain and loss of feeling in the fingertips as a result of carpal tunnel syndrome. The wrist, or carpus, consists of eight small bones known as the carpals, which are joined by bands called ligaments. A nerve called the median nerve passes through the space between the carpal bones and the ligaments in the wrists. Thickening of the ligaments causes pressure on the median nerve, and this can cause irreversible nerve damage. The nerve damage will cause the muscle at the base of the thumb to waste away and will make it hard for the person with MPS I to use his or her thumb for grasping objects.

Although you or your child may not experience pain, carpal tunnel syndrome may be severe. If you or your child have pain in the hands, particularly at night, you may wish to have an electrical test called a nerve conduction or electromyograph study performed. This test will show whether carpal tunnel syndrome is the cause. If you or your child have any weakness at all in the hand or have problems grasping objects, you may want to ask for the test from your neurologist. Be persistent, as many physicians may not believe that carpal tunnel syndrome is present without the classic symptoms. Most individuals affected by MPS I do not have the classic symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, even with severe nerve entrapment and damage. A similar type of nerve compression can happen elsewhere in the body and cause localized weakness or pain.

Courtesy of the National MPS Society