9 Things You Need to Know About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Louisiana

Carpal tunnel syndrome in Louisiana can cause persistent numbness, tingling, and burning in your fingers, wrists, and even your arms. Luckily, the treatment for it is precise enough that it has the potential to completely resolve the problem that fuels this condition in the first place.

So here’s what you need to know about carpal tunnel syndrome, including how to treat it if you’re experiencing symptoms.

1. Carpal tunnel syndrome comes down to a single nerve. The median nerve, which runs from your forearm into your thumb, index, and middle fingers, along with part of your ring finger, is nestled inside a canal known as the carpal tunnel. When the median nerve doesn’t get enough blood flow, it makes your hand hurt and feel like it’s tingling and numb.

2. Continual typing isn’t the main carpal-tunnel culprit. Though experts haven’t yet pinpointed a single cause behind carpal tunnel syndrome in Louisiana, there are various risk factors. One is being born with a tight carpal tunnel, potentially due to genetics. Doing repetitive work like typing doesn’t seem to explicitly cause this condition, but it may bring it about if you’re predisposed.

3. If carpal tunnel is permitted to progress unchecked, it can lead to permanent nerve damage.  Carpal tunnel symptoms may come and go, or bother you more at certain times than others, but this condition will usually worsen over time without treatment. If you think you have carpal tunnel syndrome in Louisiana, see a doctor who can diagnose you and prepare an action plan based on the severity of your symptoms.

4. The first line of defense is typically pain medication like NSAIDs. There are essentially two options for carpal tunnel treatment – you can reduce swelling around the median nerve, or you can make the canal surrounding it bigger. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications can temporarily ease the swelling that aggravates it.

5. Try a cold compress for relief. The cold temperature can help decrease inflammation around the median nerve and ease carpal tunnel-related pain. Ice the area for 10-15 minutes, remove the ice for 30-40, then ice again for 10-15.

6. Take it to the next level with a nighttime wrist splint. A splint helps make sure you’re not keeping your wrists bent for hours while you sleep. If you have carpal tunnel, talk to your doctor about whether a wrist splint makes sense for you.

7. Corticosteroid treatment can relieve inflammation. Corticosteroid injections can often completely eradicate less advanced cases of carpal tunnel syndrome in Louisiana. They can even be helpful if your case is more advanced, because the relief may still last for months.

8. Surgery is the final option and it can be quite successful. The point is to make the canal around the median nerve larger by cutting the ligament pressing down on the nerve. The surgery can be endoscopic where your surgeon makes smaller incisions and uses a tool called an endoscope to perform the surgery. Another option is open, which involves a larger incision.

9. There are a few strategies for preventing carpal tunnel in Louisiana. If you do any sort of repetitive work involving your hands, taking frequent breaks can help ward off wrist and hand pain. Take a 5- or 10-minute break every hour or two. During this time you can also do a few stretches to prevent straining your fingers, hands, and wrists.

Keep in mind that if you already have carpal tunnel syndrome in Louisiana, prevention isn’t enough to keep your symptoms from getting worse. So if you’re suffering with pain and discomfort, call us today to schedule a consultation.