Teenager with possible CTS

Dear Ask The Doctor: I am a pain in my right hand since 4 months and i went for phisotherpy but still there is no change in pain the pain is like shocking pain and its in my right hand and my vein swells so much and i feel like crying of pain i am a school girl plzz can u help me i ahve to study all daya and night for my exams and i have to write a lot so i use my hand a lot infact i even do exercise but still no change so plzzzz help me doctors

Dear Sara: Carpal tunnel syndrome is no longer an injury that only affects adults. With text messaging and video gaming on the rise, more kids and teens are getting CTS. The carpal tunnel is a narrow tunnel formed by the bones and tissues of your wrist. This tunnel protects your median nerve, which gives you feeling in your thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. Pain occurs if ligaments and tendons in the carpal tunnel get swollen, pressing on the median nerve and leading to carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by repetitively bending and extending your wrist, like when you have to use your hands a lot, as you stated writing for long periods of time, playing video games for many hours straight, text messaging, typing on a computer keyboard, using the mouse, or playing a musical instrument. CTS can also be caused by an injury to your wrist, such as a fracture. There are a number of ways to treat CTS. You could apply ice to your wrist, or wear a brace or splint that keeps the wrist in a physiological position. Your doctor could also prescribe anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin or ibuprofen, or recommend physiotherapy like hand, wrist and finger exercises that s stretch your muscles. In more serious cases, surgery is necessary to cut away the ligaments that are pressing on the median nerve. You'll get the normal use of your wrist and hand back a few weeks to a few months after the surgery.