Doctors already know that carpal tunnel syndrome in women is both very prevalent and a huge medical problem. Actually, it's much worse than most scientists and researchers originally believed. And it seems like more and more women are getting carpal tunnel symptoms every day. Here's what's going on.

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Carpal tunnel syndrome (or just “carpal tunnel”) is a type of nerve disorder. The problem begins inside a narrow space inside the wrist joint called the carpal tunnel. Sure, the terminology get's confusing. But that anatomical space is actually where the condition gets its name. 

For reasons not completely understood by science, the tendons in this space get irritated and begin to swell. When they swell, the pressure is so great that they push against the median nerve, With increasing swelling, the nerve is eventually crushed under pressure.

It’s that crushing effect that causes all of the symptoms and signs of carpal tunnel syndrome. These include finger or hand:

• numbness
• pain
• tingling (pins & needles)
• burning
• shooting electric shocks
• weakness

It may also feel like an aching radiating up to your elbow. Some people feel clumsiness when picking up small objects like coins or keys.

In time and as carpal tunnel worsens, it may be hard to do simple manual things like grasp a doorknob or tie a shoelace. One of the first signs people have is when their hands hurt driving the car. Or else their hand or fingers go numb. This can also happen when holding a phone to your ear.

When doctors use the term “disorders of women” it doesn’t exclude men from having the ailment. It just suggests women are far more likely to have it. Some of the more common examples are:

• bulimia
• fibromyalgia
• pelvic floor disorders
• osteoporosis
• certain autoimmune diseases

More and more, doctors are coming to believe that carpal tunnel is also a women’s disorder. That may sound silly because you probably know plenty of men who have it. 

But in fact, women are far more prone to getting carpal tunnel than men. In other words, statistical bias underestimates how much women are prone to getting carpal tunnel syndrome. Hard data and solid reasoning support this idea. 

Connecting the dots to carpal tunnel being a true women’s disorder is relatively simple. Read below, and consider the real world facts presented. Your conclusion will certainly be that carpal tunnel syndrome in women is hugely underestimated. 

It’s important to know that carpal tunnel syndrome is not “caused” by repetitively stressing your hand. Rather, if you’re predisposed (prone) to getting carpal tunnel, doing repetitive tasks will likely bring on symptoms. 

Conversely, if you're not prone, doing all the repetitive activities in the world will not bring on carpal tunnel.

It’s similar to what happens with diabetes. Eating poorly and gaining weight doesn’t cause diabetes. But if you’re predisposed to diabetes (like having a family history) then poor lifestyle habits will probably make symptoms appear.

Yet there are plenty of obese and unhealthy people who are not diabetic. They simply are not prone to getting diabetes.

Some industries require extensive manual labor. Many of those also have the highest incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome. Again, the manual labor doesn’t cause the condition. It just encourages carpal tunnel to appear (where it otherwise wouldn’t) in those already predisposed to it.

So there's no doubt that manual labor is the biggest contributor to getting carpal tunnel syndrome. A quick look at which occupations put workers at the highest risk for carpal tunnel syndrome makes the point obvious; those involved with manual labor are most at risk (by far).

The latest surveys show women are 3-5 times more likely to have this disorder than men. But these estimates of the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in women are a result of poor data sampling. 

Specifically, it does not account for sampling bias.

For instance, it’s like saying “men are more prone to accidental finger amputation”. Well, more men than women DO actually amputate their  fingers. But that’s because more men work in jobs using high speed cutting tools.

But they’re not more prone to such accidents!

According the the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, women represent slightly less than half of the US workforce. But men perform over 90% of the manual labor(“blue collar” work) in the workforce. Manual labor means any work performed mostly by hand. 

So when we adjust for the fact that women are 9 times less exposed to manual labor as men, the results are very different. It means the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in women is actually about 30 times higher than in men. That makes it predominantly a "disorder in women".

This discussion omitted the fact that up to 70% of pregnant women will experience carpal tunnel syndrome. In itself, this staggering statistic alone should compel doctors to re-classify carpal tunnel as a disorder in women.

Concluding that carpal tunnel syndrome is a women’s disorder will affect how doctors deliver treatment. Specifically, a woman in pain from carpal tunnel will likely see relief faster from a provider. Sounds amazing, but it's true. Here's why.

Women must wait longer for pain relief

Currently, for women in pain, there are disparities in how doctors treat them compared to men. For instance, if you’re a woman with pain, doctors are far more likely to prescribe a sedative than an analgesic (for pain).

Women are also more likely to wait longer for pain medicines after surgery. Most egregiously, women will likely wait longer than men in the ER to get pain medications. 

Medieval, isn't it?!

When doctors recognize carpal tunnel syndrome in women as a genuine female disorder, these disparities will lessen. Pain is difficult enough. When doctors understand that a woman’s hand pain is a genuine concern, it will only help the treatment process -- and ease the suffering.

Most doctors currently don't recognize carpal tunnel syndrome in women as a genuine female disorder. But every bit of data shows that it certainly is. And classifying the condition as a female disorder (women's disorder) will facilitate therapy for women who suffer with it.