Why do so many people struggle to find carpal tunnel relief?
Because, it is wrongly diagnosed everyday by doctors everywhere. To
fully understand the condition we must first know what the condition is.
The carpal tunnel is the passageway in the wrist and is made up of the
carpal bones (eight bones in the wrist) and the ligament connecting the
pillars of the arch (the transverse carpal ligament). The median nerve
and the tendons that connect the fingers to the muscles of the forearm
pass through the tightly spaced tunnel.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is defined by webmd.com when the median nerve
becomes pinched due to swelling of the nerve or tendons or both. The
median nerve provides sensation to the palm side of the thumb, index,
middle fingers, as well as the inside half of the ring finger and muscle
power to the thumb. When this nerve becomes pinched, numbness,
tingling, and sometimes pain of the affected fingers and hand may occur
and radiate into the forearm.
To diagnose the condition the proper clinical exam must be performed.
This exam includes both orthopedic and neurologic tests to see if the
median nerve is actually trapped and irritated by the carpal tunnel. It
is possible for the median, radial, or ulnar nerve to be compressed or
entrapped somewhere up the arm which can cause similar symptoms to
carpal tunnel syndrome.
Once a diagnosis has been made its time to make a treatment decision.
All natural treatments should be the first option. Natural treatments
such as chiropractic care to work on joint mechanics and muscle
imbalances. A chiropractor can work with you to set up your workstation
to avoid potential dangers to your wrist and hand.
Active release technique (ART) by a certified provider is the most
powerful treatment to break nerve entrapments in the arm and clear
carpal tunnel. ART works to break adhesions and scar tissue throughout a
muscle.
Splints and braces typically do not work for pain relief long term.
It turns out the most popular treatment is surgery. Surgery can also
leave you in worse shape than you were in before. Plus symptoms do
reoccur after surgery.
The carpal tunnel release is one of the most common surgical procedures
in the United States. Generally recommended if symptoms last for 6
months, surgery involves severing the band of tissue around the wrist to
reduce pressure on the median nerve.
This surgery does not require an overnight hospital stay and is done
under local anesthesia. Surgery is expensive and not guaranteed. I would
put surgery at the bottom of your list for possible carpal tunnel
relief treatments.