Many people get their Carpal Tunnel diagnosis and breathe a sigh of relief because now they have proof that they have a real problem, or that they finally have a name for what has been bothering them.
But what does that diagnosis really mean? If you think that it is 'proof', or a 'definite' answer as to the cause of you pain, it is likely that you will be disappointed.
A Carpal Tunnel diagnosis is handed down by a doctor, and it is that doctor's best estimation of the name for your 'problem'.
Our western medical system is designed such that every type of complaint and pain is considered to be caused by something specific.
Even when the source of the problem is not easy to identify, or obviously coming from a certain cause, it still needs a name.
Your doctor's job is to give a name to that which is bothering you.
You walked in with pain and/or numbness in your wrist/hand/fingers.
And you must walk out with a diagnosis.
If you have pain, numbness, loss of range of motion, weakness of grip, it is very likely that your diagnosis will be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).
Hopefully your doctor will also take a verbal history of the issue.
They may do a nerve conduction test to confirm the diagnosis.
 The diagnosis itself is a name given to your problem that is written down in your chart and entered into your medical history.
What Does It Mean That You Have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? A very tiny percentage of people that get diagnosed as having Carpal Tunnel Syndrome actually have a real problem with the Carpal Tunnel itself.
 This would be something like having a significantly too small bony channel due to genetics or a crushing or breaking injury.
Sometimes a tumor can grow there in the wrist.
Even though the chances are small, it's worth it to see a doctor to make sure this isn't the problem.
The vast majority of the rest of wrist pain and numbness doesn't have anything directly to do with the carpal tunnel.
A Carpal Tunnel Diagnosis given to you by a doctor technically means that you have 'Carpal Tunnel Syndrome'.
  It is important to know that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is nothing but a label for a collection of symptoms.
So when your doctor diagnoses you as having CTS, what s/he is really saying is that you have some or all of a certain group of symptoms.
 The symptoms themselves don't necessarily mean that there is anything wrong with your Carpal Tunnel.
They don't necessarily mean that you have any actual 'damage' or 'injury'.
 For the most part, that's not how the Carpal Tunnel dynamic works.
It also depends on whether you have Wrist Tendonitis as part of the pain dynamic affecting the wrist area, and CTS and Wrist Tendonitis are often confused and misdiagnosed.
Having a diagnosis is great.
  Effectively reversing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is even better.