[Carpal tunnel syndrome in shoe hemmers].

The authors verified the working activity of patients observed at the Division of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Porto San Giorgio Hospital between 1986 and 1987 for symptoms of median nerve compression at the wrist. Moreover, the pathogenetic relationship between repetitive movement and carpal tunnel syndrome were also studied. Out of a total of 267 cases, including 201 women and 66 men, 67 worked as shoe hemmers. Twenty-five percent of the total number of patients were shoe hemmers, and 33% of these were females. The Authors observed a thickened and fibrous carpal transverse ligament in these patients who were employed in hand-repetitive tasks. This swollen ligament probably compresses the median nerve at the wrist.