Your hands are sore. You are feeling numbness in your fingers (especially your thumb and index finger) and into your wrist or forearm. You wake up at night due to the discomfort.
These are some of the classic symptoms related to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Those who have it, have found it to be very painful and find that it can often can lead to lack of function in the hand(s).
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (also called CTS) is a disorder that effects the nerve(s) that runs from the forearm, through the wrist, and into the digits of the hand. More specifically, the affected nerves enter into the thumb, index and middle finger of the hand.
The nerves to the hand travel through a small opening in the wrist, called the carpal tunnel. When the space around the nerves in narrowed, this can cause pressure on the nerves, leading to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has a number of causes. Anything that causes narrowing of the carpal tunnel in the wrist can ultimately cause CTS.
One cause is inflammation of the area, leading to narrowing of the tunnel. This could be caused by a number of issues.
Overuse syndrome
When overuse of the wrist or hand occurs, this can lead to inflammation in the area. This swelling can lead to narrowing of the carpal tunnel, placing pressure on the nerves in the wrist and hand.
Injury
Another way Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can occur is with an injury to the area of the wrist or hand. Abnormally positioned bones (of the joint complex), swelling from the injury or ligament weakness can cause narrowing of the carpal tunnel and pressure on the nerves.
Pregnancy
Another, more unknown cause of CTS, is pregnancy. The possible swelling that occurs during pregnancy can lead to transient Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in the woman.
How Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is Treated
The pain, numbness, weakness and ache from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be quite disabling. Fortunately, we often have good success with treating CTS. At our clinic, we use the latest testing and tools to help to resolve the symptoms and remedy the problem.
After evaluating and diagnosing someone with CTS, it is not uncommon to use a combination of therapies, such as cold laser therapy and physical therapy in addition to chiropractic treatment to resolve the CTS condition.
Laser Therapy For CTS
One treatment that we can use for treating carpal tunnel syndrome is cold laser therapy. This laser light treatment can reduce swelling and initiate the healing process for the nerves and tissues in the hand and wrists. This treatment is also non-surgical, not painful and yuo have no downtime.
Treatment of Neck Problems For CTS
In some cases, carpal tunnel syndrome is related to neck problems a patient may have. The nerves of the spine, run from the neck and into the arms and hands. These nerves in the neck area, which can be irritated, can cause symptoms that relate to CTS. Like CTS, this problem can cause pain, numbness, tingling sensations and weakness.
How We Treat Neck Pain
We have treated thousands of patients with neck pain and related problems. If you, or someone you love, suffers from neck pain, we would begin with a discussion with Dr. Ungar.
Our typical process involves:
Obtaining a thorough history of the problem and health history of the patient
Performing a complete examination of the patient
Obtaining any diagnostic tests (if necessary) to better understand the problem
Discussing the diagnosis with you
Reviewing the findings and treatment options with you
If we feel that we can help your problem and you decide to begin with a treatment plan, we will work with you to help resolve your problem.
