Choosing the wrong wrist splint for carpal tunnel syndrome can actually make your condition worse. For instance, do you wear a splint at night but wake up with intense symptoms in your fingers and hand? If so, chances are you're wearing the wrong splint for this condition.

This article shows you what to look for in a wrist splint in order to properly treat carpal tunnel syndrome. Just as importantly, it shows you which wrist splints to avoid.

• Are you certain you have carpal tunnel? Take this self-test.

Wearing a wrist splint for carpal tunnel syndrome at night (called "nocturnal wrist splinting") is one of the best ways to treat this condition. But before you waste time and money treating carpal tunnel, make sure you have this progressive condition in the first place.

Carpal tunnel syndrome has very specific symptoms. In fact, you can perform this simple self-test which doctor use to determine if you have it.

The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome occur ONLY where the median nerve distributes to the hand. The image (above) illustrates where on the hand the median nerve provides sensation.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is all about abnormal sensations from the median nerve. The most common carpal tunnel sensations you feel from this area of the hand and fingers are:

• Numbness
• Tingling (or pins-and-needles)
• Pain
• Burning
• Shooting electric shocks
• Itching
• Loss of hot or cold sensations

Also, this part of the hand and fingers may feel weak or clumsy. Often, it's difficult to tie a shoelace, button a shirt or pick up coins.

Symptoms usually first appear while trying to sleep. In fact, this differentiates carpal tunnel syndrome from wrist tendonitis. In its beginning stages, wrist tendonitis usually is painful or numbing when your hand is working. In contrast, carpal tunnel syndrome starts off showing symptoms while your hand is resting.

 Take this Quiz by Dr. Z to see how severe your CTS really is:

If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, it means you don't have an ordinary hand problem, like a sprain. Therefore, you must treat it specially. The following are the 2 rules for wearing a wrist splint if you have carpal tunnel syndrome.

A wrist splint for carpal tunnel syndrome should only be worn at night, when you're sleeping. You should never wear one during the daytime.

The reason is because of the way carpal tunnel syndrome occurs. It begins due to stressed tendons in your wrist joint. The stress usually results from repetitively straining your fingers and hand. This causes irritation and (in time) swelling along he tendon. That tendon swelling is what causes the abnormal problems with your median nerve - and the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

So performing your regular hand and finger activities during the day is stress enough. But if you also restrict your hand's movement, it doubles the work your hand has to do to overcome the restriction. That's even more hand stress, which adds to the tendon problems you already have

The most popular splints people (wrongly) use for carpal tunnel syndrome are listed below. These are NOT designed for carpal tunnel syndrome and should be avoided. Using them can cause more harm if you have this condition.

Wearing a certified wrist splint for carpal tunnel syndrome is a good first step toward treating this condition. Being careful to avoid what caused the problem (like repetitive hand stress) and wearing the splint at night will make mild cases of carpal tunnel disappear within a few weeks.

At all costs, avoid using drug store splints. They are not designed to treat carpal tunnel syndrome and can actually make your condition worse.

If your carpal tunnel symptoms are more severe, simple night splinting will not be enough. You must combine it with

specific carpal tunnel stretching exercises and myofascial release massage in order to see symptoms dissolve.