Do you feel numbness, pain, tingling, or weakness in one or both of your hands? If you do, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome. The good news is that, like other repetitive strain injuries, you can treat carpal tunnel syndrome naturally without medication or surgery by visiting a chiropractor.
What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
Everyone has carpal tunnels, a group of tendons in the wrist that guide the median nerve into the hand. This nerve controls the movement of the thumb and first three fingers. We experience symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome if the median nerve begins to rub against the wall of the tunnel.
Symptoms range from numbness, tingling, burning, and pain and are usually felt in the wrist and fingers on the affected hand, except the little finger. Symptoms are typically worse at night, and the pain can become so intense that it wakes the patient up.
What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
If the median nerve becomes swollen or inflamed, it can rub against the wall of the carpal tunnel, while repetitive motions like typing can cause the tunnel to narrow. Certain conditions like diabetes, pregnancy, and hypothyroidism can also lead to swelling of the carpal tunnel or the median nerve.
Carpal tunnel syndrome can be challenging to diagnose. The symptoms are often confused with other those of other conditions like subluxation, disc degeneration in the spine, or arthritis, all of which can cause the median nerve to become irritated.
Aggressive treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome
While most repetitive strain injuries heal on their own with enough rest, carpal tunnel syndrome requires proper treatment.
Surgery and steroid injections are two of the most common treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome but are not without their risks. Research shows that only half of carpal tunnel release surgeries are successful.
A wrist splint can prevent the wrist from falling forward, while anti-inflammatory medicines can reduce inflammation in the wrist. Both options can reduce pain, but they will not treat the cause of the compression and alleviate the condition in the long run.
A chiropractic solution
Chiropractors believe that pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome doesn’t originate in the wrist or arm, but rather in the upper spine where the median nerve begins. A chiropractor can examine your spine to locate any point of vertebrae interference that could be compressing the nerve.
Chiropractic treatments include gentle manipulations of the spine, elbow, and wrist to help release pressure on the nerve. The primary goal is to relieve the pain and irritation in your arm and wrist before moving on to the neck area.
Patients will also learn a special exercise and stretching regime. These exercises can improve muscle strength, which can help to open the carpal tunnel. A chiropractor can also treat repetitive strain injuries affecting other parts of the body.
If you are living with a repetitive strain injury like carpal tunnel syndrome, search online to find a reputable chiropractor who can heal carpal tunnel syndrome naturally in Waterford, MI.
