Because the early symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) don’t interfere too much with one’s ability to carry out regular tasks, they are commonly overlooked or ignored. As a result, many people do not believe it is worthwhile to schedule and attend a doctor’s visit to address the problem. Many people with CTS put off seeking help for months or even years until their symptoms become too triggering, limiting, and irritating to ignore. But what if there was a method to tell if those minor aches and pains were a sign of early CTS from the comfort of your own home?

Researchers looked analyzed the hand movements of 22 CTS patients (seven of whom had CTS in both wrists) and 11 age-matched controls in a 2019 study to see whether there were any simple diagnostics that could be done outside of a clinical context. The movement of the object became the focus of the investigation.