When the intracarpal canal interstitial pressure rises above a critical
threshold pressure, capillary blood flow is reduced below the level
required for median nerve function, then viability. The associated symptoms
include pain, paræsthesiæ and altered sensation, or a combination
of these. While primary carpal tunnel syndrome can result from direct
trauma to the contents of the carpal tunnel or surrounding tissues, the
more common type is idiopathic and multi-factorial, with a multitude of
risk factors. There is considerable confusion in the literature between
risk factors and factors that provoke the symptoms. This paper analyses
the published evidence for the ro
ˇ
le that each of the risk factors plays in
the ætiology of carpal tunnel syndrome.