What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a disorder of nerves. It happens when the nerve running from the forearm till the palm of the hand gets damaged, is pressed or squeezed. It has specific symptoms attached to it. It causes the feeling of numbness in the sufferers hand along with other occurrences of pain and tingling. Often the repetitive movement of hands over a long period of time causes this disorder. It is a very painful disorder and is often unbearable. But there are various ways to treat this disorder in an effective manner.
The carpal tunnel is a narrow space in the wrist. It
contains wrist bones and a ligament (transverse carpal ligament) across the
wrist where the palm and forearm meet. Tendons and the median nerve pass
through this space to your hand. The median nerve supplies feeling and some
movement to part of the hand. It is usually caused when an illness or
other problem makes the carpal tunnel space too small. This puts pressure on
the median nerve and causes pain, tingling, and other symptoms.
The carpal tunnel is a narrow space in the wrist. It
contains wrist bones and a ligament (transverse carpal ligament) across the
wrist where the palm and forearm meet. Tendons and the median nerve pass
through this space to your hand. The median nerve supplies feeling and some
movement to part of the hand. It is usually caused when an illness or
other problem makes the carpal tunnel space too small. This puts pressure on
the median nerve and causes pain, tingling, and other symptoms.
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when a combination of health
conditions and activities puts pressure on the median nerve as it passes
through the carpal tunnel in your wrist. This pressure leads to symptoms
because the median nerve supplies feeling and some movement to part of the
hand. So anything that decreases the
amount of space in the carpal tunnel increases the amount of tissue in the
tunnel or increases the sensitivity of the median nerve can lead to carpal
tunnel syndrome.
Common Symptoms:
Tingling or numbness - you may experience tingling and
numbness in your fingers or hand, especially your thumb and index, middle or
ring fingers, but not your little finger. This sensation often occurs while
holding a steering wheel, phone or newspaper or, commonly, waking you from
sleeping. The sensation may extend from your wrist up your arm. Many people "shake out" their hands
to try to relieve their symptoms. As the disorder progresses, the numb feeling
may become constant.
Weakness - you may experience weakness in your hand and a
tendency to drop objects. This may be due to the numbness in your hand or weakness
of the thumb's pinching muscles controlled by the median nerve.
Can't Sleep at Night - you may experience a loss of sleep due to a different sensations.
Can't Sleep at Night - you may experience a loss of sleep due to a different sensations.
Things that may contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome
Conditions or illnesses that can cause or contribute to arm
pain or swelling in the joints and soft tissues in the arm, or to reduced blood
flow to the hands. These include:
- obesity
- rheumatoid arthritis
- gout
- diabetes
- lupus
- hypothyroidism
- Repeated hand and wrist movements - can cause the membranes surrounding the tendons to swell (tenosynovitis). (Computer, mousing, etc.)
- Broken wrist bones, dislocated bones, new bone growth from healing bones, or bone spurs - can take up space in the carpal tunnel and put more pressure on the median nerve.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common work-related condition. It can be caused by work that requires:
- Forceful or repetitive hand movements
- Hand-arm vibration
- Working for long periods in the same or awkward positions
Other Treatments for Carpal Tunnel
In some cases the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome cannot be
found, but it can be treated! It important that you know you have choices. Carpal
tunnel syndrome should be treated as early as possible after you begin to
experience symptoms.
Tip: If you are a regular computer user, switch your mouse or pad hand! It only takes a few times to get used to it and that will give your affected hand a real break and could even lead to healing!
Take Breaks and Apply Cold
Some people with mild symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can
ease their discomfort by taking more frequent breaks to rest their hands,
avoiding activities that worsen symptoms.
Apply cold packs to reduce occasional swelling
If these techniques don't offer relief within a few weeks,
additional treatment options include wrist splinting and medical convention
suggests medications and surgery.
Splinting and other conservative treatments are more likely
to help you if you've had only mild to moderate symptoms for less than 10
months.
Natural Remedies - Inflammation
Vitamin B6 and Lipoic Acid can help reduce inflammation or swelling. You should reduce or eliminate saturated fats and fried foods. Large amounts of alcohol, caffeine or tobacco also contribute to risk factors associated with Carpal Tunnel. Avoid foods containing yellow (hydrazine) dyes and boost your intake of whole grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables. If you suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, find out if you are Vitamin B6 deficient. You can get B6 through a variety of foods including sweet potatoes, avocados, brown rice, sunflower seeds, chick peas, pork, beef, chicken, turkey, potatoes, barley, bananas, mangoes. Most foods contain only about a mg of B6 per serving. It may take several weeks, even up to a few months, before you notice a change.
Supplementing your diet with Vitamin B6 is thought to be the most effective natural remedy for Carpal Tunnel especially in the early stages of this problem. B6 reduces swelling.
Do not take any vitamin supplement without consulting a naturopath or doctor. Taking more than 100 mg of B6 could be dangerous because the pyroxidine could cause neurological problems. You don’t want to trade one malady for another. Foods such as pineapples contain a vitamin called bromelianm, an enzyme that can help reduce tissue swelling.
Do exercises. There are various types of exercises for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which provide absolute comfort.
Learn about the variety of herbs that are useful for CTS.
Supplementing your diet with Vitamin B6 is thought to be the most effective natural remedy for Carpal Tunnel especially in the early stages of this problem. B6 reduces swelling.
Do not take any vitamin supplement without consulting a naturopath or doctor. Taking more than 100 mg of B6 could be dangerous because the pyroxidine could cause neurological problems. You don’t want to trade one malady for another. Foods such as pineapples contain a vitamin called bromelianm, an enzyme that can help reduce tissue swelling.
Do exercises. There are various types of exercises for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which provide absolute comfort.
Learn about the variety of herbs that are useful for CTS.
Non-surgical therapy
If the condition is diagnosed early, non-surgical methods
may help improve carpal tunnel syndrome. Methods may include:
- Wrist splinting - a splint that holds your wrist still while you sleep can help relieve nighttime symptoms of tingling and numbness. (Nighttime splinting may be a good option if you're pregnant and have carpal tunnel syndrome.)
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) may help relieve pain from carpal tunnel syndrome in the short term.
- Corticosteroids. Your doctor may inject your carpal tunnel with a corticosteroid such as cortisone to relieve your pain. Corticosteroids decrease inflammation and swelling, which relieves pressure on the median nerve. Oral corticosteroids aren't considered as effective as corticosteroid injections for treating carpal tunnel syndrome.
There isn't evidence, however, that these drugs improve carpal tunnel syndrome.
If carpal tunnel syndrome results from an inflammatory arthritis, such
as rheumatoid arthritis, then treating the arthritis may reduce symptoms of
carpal tunnel syndrome, but this hasn't been proved.
Surgery
If your symptoms are severe or persist after trying non-surgical
therapy, surgery is recommended by the medical community and in extreme cases, might be the most appropriate option.
The goal of carpal tunnel surgery is to relieve pressure on
your median nerve by cutting the ligament pressing on the nerve.The surgery may be performed with two different techniques.Discuss the risks and benefits of each technique with your surgeon before
surgery. Surgery risks may include incomplete release of the ligament, wound
infections, scar formation, and nerve or vascular injuries. The final results
of endoscopic and open surgery are similar.
Endoscopic surgery. In endoscopic surgery, your surgeon uses
a telescope-like device with a tiny camera attached to it (endoscope) to see
inside your carpal tunnel and cut the ligament through one or two small
incisions in your hand or wrist.
Endoscopic surgery may result in less pain than does open
surgery in the first few days or weeks after surgery.
Open surgery. In open surgery, your surgeon makes a larger
incision in the palm of your hand over the carpal tunnel and cuts through the
ligament to free the nerve. This procedure may also be conducted using a
smaller incision, which may reduce the risk of complications.
During the healing process after the surgery, the ligament
tissues gradually grow back together while allowing more room for the nerve
than existed before.
Soreness or weakness may take from several weeks to a few
months to resolve after surgery. If your symptoms were very severe before
surgery, symptoms may not go away completely after surgery.
Bio-Structural
Integration™ and Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
A faster and non-invasive, non-surgical, drug-free method is available at Osteoklinika; we have had continued success with our
patients at all stages of carpal tunnel.
Every cell in our body works synergistically together to
maintain homeostasis. When one system is disturbed the other cannot function
properly. In my method of Bio-Structural Integration™, I address the
dysfunction at every level. Within one treatment I use Cranial Osteopathy to
release central nervous system lesions. After that I use an Osteopathic Muscle
Energy Technique to correct the joints, followed by Myofascial Release of
connective tissue. Neuromuscular Massage is implemented to reduce muscular
tension, and electrotherapy helps to interrupt the pain cycle. All of the above
is done within a 1 hour treatment. After the structure is realigned I recommend
BioFlex Low Light Laser Therapy (LLLT) to deal with inflammation. Healing is
now stimulated at the cellular level. This session may take 30 minutes to 1
hour depending on the condition being treated and the protocol selected. Elimination of inflammatory process assists in
structural stabilization of the joints. As a result, muscles and ligaments
relax; fascia releases its tension, flexibility increases bringing back normal
range of motion and reduction of pain.
The program of rehabilitation could be up to 5 weeks long
and provides more than 90% of success in bringing back a pain free life. If you
have tried every possible known therapy and still have pain, you should not
give up! Surgery should be the last
resort! During many years of practice I
developed protocols for numerous difficult-to-treat conditions.
This is not limited to carpal tunnel syndrome!
Here are some of the conditions we treat at Osteoklinika:
- Low back and Neck Pain
- Migraines and Headaches
- Shoulder, Elbow, Hip, Knee, Angle and Foot Pain
- Sciatica
- Temporal - Mandibular (Jaw) Pain
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Repetitive Strain Injuries
- Constipation
- Incontinence
- Neurological Disorders
- Chronic Ear Infections
- Post-Concussion Syndrome and Head Trauma
- Genitourinary Problems
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tendinitis and Bursitis
- Dermal Ulcers
- Dermatological conditions
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Piriformis Syndrome
- Patella-Femoral Syndrome and Chondromalacia Patella
- Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Frozen Shoulder
"Bio-Structural Integration™ sets the new standard of
rehabilitation that is unique, effective and provides a quick relief from
pain." - Andrew Subieta
I can’t thank you enough for having helped me with the
chronic pain I was experiencing in my arms and shoulders due to a medical
mishap that occurred about six years ago. With the first visit to your clinic early
this year, you were not only able to relieve most of the pain but you also
allowed me to regain movement in my arms, which is something I was not able to
do in years. I was completely shocked that after seeing numerous doctors and
being put on several different types of medication, you were able to help me
without the use of drugs and without many visits.
In June of 2014, I visited with you again with regard to a
different matter. After being advised by one of the top neurologists at Mount
Sinai Hospital that I had an acute case of carpal tunnel and that I would
require surgery as soon as possible, you immediately took action again and with
a few treatments by you and your associate Osteopath, combined with some laser
therapy treatments, I was able to cancel my surgery date and stop taking the
painkillers prescribed to me by the doctors I had seen at Markham Stouffville
Hospital and at Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital.
Today, I am happy to report that I have regained almost 95%
of the feeling back in my fingers and wrists and I have been able to remain
surgery free.
I am not quite sure how you do what you do but I consider
you somewhat of a miracle worker. I have
recommended you to several people I know who have been suffering with various
ailments (i.e. severe back, arm and foot pain) and they have all been extremely
happy with the results you have given them.
We provide professional osteopathic care; relieving pain, reducing stiffness and increasing mobility, so you may feel better as soon as possible. Please call us to book your consultation at 905.660.8810. - Andrew Subieta, M.Sc., R.M.T., C.L.T. andrew@osteoklinika.com
Also, please check our website at www.osteoklinika.com for more information about Bio-Structural Integration™, or our Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter pages.
