The cause of carpal tunnel syndrome may have been discovered by Mayo Clinic researchers who used electron microscopes to view the carpal tunnel of 11 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. The researchers also looked at the carpal tunnel of two cadavers with a history of carpal tunnel syndrome and 14 normal cadavers. The carpal tunnel is a narrow "tunnel" which is formed on the bottom and sides by wrist bones and on the top by the tranverse ligament. The median nerve is protected by the tunnel. When there is pressure on the median nerve, symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome develop including pain, numbness, and weakness in the hand and wrist.

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According to the study which appears in the November 2006 journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the researchers observed parallel layers of tissues connected to the tendons in the carpal tunnel. As the tendon moves through the carpal tunnel the connected tissues are pulled with it. All carpal tunnel syndrome patients had tissues which showed damage resulting in scar tissue and thick fibers. Researchers believe a shearing injury may cause carpal tunnel syndome. The findings, if confirmed, may lead to earlier detection and new treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome.

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