ACUTE CARPAL-TUNNEL SYNDROME - WRIST STRESS DURING A MAJOR CLIMB

While rock climbing, a 25-year-old man felt a ''pop'' in his left wris t followed by immediate numbness, tingling, and pain in his left hand. Though the symptoms resolved in about 5 minutes, they recurred throug hout the climb whenever the man maximally flexed his wrist. Similar sy mptoms woke him from sleep that night. On physical examination, Tinel' s and Phalen's signs indicated acute carpal tunnel syndrome. The patie nt responded well to conservative treatment including rest, splinting at night, and NSAIDs.