Carpal tunnel syndrome in association with hand-arm vibration syndrome: A review of claimants seeking compensation in the mining industry

Twenty six thousand eight hundred and forty-two miners seeking compensation were clinically assessed for vascular and neurosensory impairment arising from exposure to occupational hand-arm vibration (Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome). They were also assessed clinically for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which, if present, would result in additional compensation. Fifteen per cent were assessed as having both HAVS and CTS. Thirty-eight per cent of claimants had nocturnal wakening, 1.3% wasting of abductor pollicis brevis, 15% had a positive Tinel's test and 20% had a positive Phalen's test. The 15% prevalence reported is lower than the rates cited previously in several small population studies of workers exposed to vibration. This paper reports the results of the assessment process and discusses the difficulty of discriminating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from diffuse neurosensory impairment arising from HAVS.