Carpal Tunnel Syndrome???

According to some reports nearly 8 million people suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) in America. In 2002 the U.S. Dept. of Labor reported that repetitive motion injuries were the leading cause of missed work with an average of 23 days missed. CTS is one of the most common repetitive work injuries, often caused by things like typing. In this day and age of computers at work and at home, everyone is typing and repetitive motion injuries are very common.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by compression or irritation to the median nerve. The median nerve runs through the carpal tunnel in the wrist and innervates the hand and some fingers and also allows you to "feel" the things you’re touching. It is an important nerve because it allows you to move your hand and certain fingers. When this nerve is irritated or compressed, it can cause pain and tingling in the hand and fingers. It can also cause you to lose feeling with your fingers, and they may feel numb. The pain is often worse at night, and can get so bad that patients can no longer sleep. Over time the pain can get so bad that it starts to radiate back up the arm and sometimes even to the back of the shoulder. Some suffers can no longer do things like fasten jewelry or hold onto objects without fear of dropping them.

There are lots of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that run through the wrist. When any of these tissues gets irritated swelling occurs and compression the median nerve is inevitable. If left untreated, besides the loss of feeling and control listed above, long standing irritation can actually cause permanent weakness and muscle loss in the hand.

Typing at a keyboard is often pegged as a cause of CTS, but there are others. Any job that requires someone to hold a tool handle or steering wheel for long periods can cause CTS. Repetitive use of vibrating tools, assembly line work or meat processing can also cause CTS.

Even recreational activities like weightlifting, cycling, or rowing can lead to CTS because of the repetitive nature of the activity, and the pressure put on the wrist. Even things like needlework have been implicated in CTS. A study in the Physician and Sports Medicine (Jan. 1995) suggest that half of CTS cases were associated with another condition, so it is important to see your chiropractor to determine if your CTS symptoms are in fact CTS or something else.

So you’re probably wondering what we can do for carpal tunnel syndrome. Many of you have been on our spinal decompression table to treat your sciatica. We can also use this decompression table to treat carpal tunnel. Using a light and gentle pull, we can decompress the nerves running through the wrist and relieve the symptoms of CTS. We also use other therapy to reduce the swelling in the wrist and a full range of motion can be restored to normal, especially if treated early on. Remember that left untreated, CTS can lead to permanent nerve damage and muscle loss in the hand, so it’s important to treat it early.

So if you or someone that you know is suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it’s important to know that we may be able to help, and without drugs or surgery.