Why do I get carpal tunnel during pregnancy?

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Carpal tunnel in pregnancy is a side effect of the same fluid retention that swells your feet: extra fluid collects in the tight tunnel at the wrist and squeezes the median nerve. The symptoms are textbook - numbness, tingling, burning, or pain in the thumb, index, and middle fingers, often waking you at night, sometimes with a weak or clumsy grip. The NHS lists it among common pregnancy complaints, and it typically appears in the second or third trimester when fluid retention peaks. The reassuring part: pregnancy carpal tunnel usually resolves on its own within weeks to months after delivery, as the fluid drains.

Relief that works now: a wrist splint at night, holding the wrist neutral - this is the single most effective measure and safe in pregnancy; shake out numb hands and avoid sleeping on them; keep wrists level during keyboard work; and elevate hands when they throb. If symptoms are severe - constant numbness, dropping things, weakness - tell your provider: steroid injections into the wrist are an option sometimes used in pregnancy, and persistent cases after delivery can be treated definitively.

When to call: numbness that becomes constant or weakness that affects daily tasks deserves assessment rather than waiting for delivery. And sudden severe hand swelling arriving with headache or vision changes belongs to the preeclampsia warning cluster - that combination is a same-day call, not a wrist problem.

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Why do I get carpal tunnel during pregnancy?

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