Carpal tunnel syndrome.

Despite numerous publications in the literature, there is still a significant deficit of knowledge regarding carpal tunnel syndrome and its relationship to work. This chapter reviews a variety of observations from these studies. Epidemiologic studies have been mostly cross-sectional surveys using clinical criteria (symptoms and physical findings) as a basis for case definition, but these exposure assessments cannot discriminate between work-related and non-work-related cases of carpal tunnel syndrome. These studies do reveal a fairly consistent pattern of observations regarding the spectrum and relative frequency of upper extremity morbidity among jobs believed to be hazardous. Carpal tunnel syndrome, however, is but one of these disorders and is not the most common one. Historical perspectives, anatomic pathology, pathophysiology, theories of pathogenesis, epidemiologic observations, associations with exposure, and current issues are discussed.