Having bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome means you feel the symptoms of pain, numbness or tingling in both hands or fingers at the same time. This isn’t unusual. One of the well-known facts about carpal tunnel is that it usually happens on both hands about 88% of the time. Therefore, bilateral carpal tunnel is more the rule than the exception. 

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the second most common hand disorder in the USA after rheumatoid arthritis. Carpal tunnel produces unusual symptoms such as pain, numbness, tingling (or pins & needles), burning or weakness in the hand and fingers. It’s especially bad in the thumb. But the little finger is never affected. Eventually your hands and fingers feel clumsy and you start to lose pinch and  grip strength. 

The disorder occurs in an area inside the wrist joint, in a passageway called the carpal tunnel (hence the condition's name). The main structures running through this carpal tunnel passageway are 9 flexor tendons and the median nerve.

These flexor tendons make your fingers curl and pinch. The median nerve controls sensation to the hand and fingers. Both lie right next to each other. 

Carpal tunnel syndrome begins when the flexor tendons inside the carpal tunnel passageway become inflamed and swollen. As they swell the tendons push and compress the adjacent median nerve. 

When any nerve is compressed it produces these terrible sensations. In fact, nobody is really sure what causes the tendon swelling to begin with. But overusing your hands and fingers on the job seems to make the condition arise in most people.

Most people who have numbness, tingling, weakness or pain in one hand eventually see the same problems happen in their other hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome behaves this way most of the time. This is bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and it's a huge problem for employers and workers.

Studies show that if you feel these symptoms in one hand, there's more than 80% probability they will appear in the other hand within 6 months .  Fewer people have symptoms begin in both hands at the same. But it's still considered bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. 

For at least two decades doctors recognized that carpal tunnel syndrome will almost always happen in both hands. This is where preventative measures help a lot. They can reduce the chances of developing bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome when it appears on the first hand. 

However, most people don’t take preventative measures or even the slightest precautions. As a result, the other hand ultimately suffers as well.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is NOT normal

The condition of carpal tunnel syndrome is not normal. In fact, it's like a disease. The reason why it happens in some people and not in others is a mystery. 

The condition is actually a type of repetitive stress injury or "tendonitis" inside the wrist joint. As outlined above, the inflamed and swollen tendons crush the median nerve causing nerve compression injury. This results in all of the common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for carpal tunnel syndrome. But there are successful remedies to keep symptoms away. Carpal tunnel surgery is just one of those remedies. It aims to expand the wrist joint to allow more room for the median nerve (see more below). But this is usually a temporary solution because symptoms return after surgery in about 50% of patients.

Unlike surgery, other nonsurgical remedies aim to treat the root cause of the problem: tendon inflammation. Such remedies include tendon gliding (stretching) exercises, and myofascial release massage.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurring bilaterally is most common

Drs. Bagatur and Zorer were among the first to report that carpal tunnel syndrome is a bilateral disorder. That means it eventually happens in both hands. In other words, it's the normal course of this disorder's progression. 

This information came to light when the researchers followed patients with carpal tunnel syndrome in one hand for several years. Over 80% developed the disease on the opposite side. The study concluded the following:

"Carpal tunnel syndrome is a bilateral disorder which becomes more evident as time goes on."

We now know that if you're unlucky enough to get it in one hand, you have a high probability of seeing symptoms in the other hand at some point. Therefore, doctors should consider carpal tunnel syndrome a “bilateral disorder” from the outset. That means they  should encourage patients to take precautions in the other (asymptomatic) hand while they can.

Drs. Bagatur and Zorer studied patients who had open carpal tunnel release surgery. This is when a 1-2 inch long slit on the palm exposes the transverse carpal ligament which covers the wrist joint. 

Cutting this ligament lets the wrist bones spread apart. This gives the median nerve more room in an already crowded passageway.  The result is that the nerve is “decompressed”. 

The symptoms related to the compressed nerve (like pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in your hand and finger) disappear. Over 59% of those patients had symptoms in both hands (bilateral). Of those patients, 73% had symptoms so severe they needed surgery on the other hand as well.

Another fact was uncovered by Drs. Bagatur and Zorer:

"There is a direct relationship between how long symptoms go untreated and the appearance of symptoms in the other hand."

That means many patients do not take the carpal tunnel warning signs  seriously enough to prevent the other hand from eventually suffering. 

Therefore, you should avoid bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome while you can  because chances are good it will happen. Take precautions immediately, which include:

• Stop excessive hand & finger activities in BOTH hands.
  
  
• Rest frequently, and do  carpal tunnel stretches for BOTH hands & fingers.
  
  
• Apply myofascial release massage to BOTH hands & forearms.

The takeaway message is simple.... If you have signs of carpal tunnel syndrome in one hand, treat it right now. And start preventive measures on the other hand even if it feels normal.