Condition caused by a tightened carpal retinaculum

• A. Carpal tunnel syndrome
• B. Carpal syndrome
• C. Tendonitis
• D. Ligament sprain

Answer: (B)

Tightening of the transverse carpal ligament (the carpal retinaculum) narrows the space inside the carpal tunnel and compresses the median nerve within that tunnel. This compression is what defines carpal tunnel syndrome. The median nerve supplies sensation to the thumb, index, middle, and part of the ring finger, and it also controls some of the thumb muscles. When the nerve is compressed, you get numbness, tingling, or pain in those fingers, especially at night, and potential weakness in the thumb muscles.

Other options don’t fit this mechanism as well: tendonitis involves inflammation of a tendon rather than nerve compression from a tightened ligament; a ligament sprain is an injury to a ligament, not a nerve compression syndrome; “carpal syndrome” is not the standard diagnosis for this specific nerve compression.