Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common repetitive strain injury. It involves the nerves in your wrist getting compressed and irritated, usually due to repetitive motions. It often starts with tingling, numbness, and pain in the wrist and hand. If it’s allowed to progress, the pain will get worse and it can cause nerve damage. You may find yourself dropping objects and having difficulty performing your daily tasks.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve. This nerve runs from your forearm, through the carpal tunnel (a passageway in your wrist), to your hand. The median nerve provides sensation to the palm side of your fingers and allows you to move the muscles at the base of your thumb.
When this nerve gets irritated or squeezed, you start feeling the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Some ways the median nerve can get irritated include:
- Repetitive strain
- Injuries such as a wrist fracture or dislocation that narrow the carpal tunnel passage
- Chronic illnesses that affect the nerves, such as diabetes
- Tingling or numbness in the fingers, hand, and wrist
- Weakness
- Wrist pain
- Hand pain
- Pain that spreads up to the shoulder
- Limited range of motion
- Difficulty grasping objects
- Shrinking of the muscle at the base of the thumb (atrophy)
There is a variety of treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome, such as:
- Physiotherapy
- Anti-inflammatory drugs
- Corticosteroid injections
- Carpal tunnel release surgery (Involves cutting a ligament to take pressure off the median nerve)
Our physiotherapists can provide a variety of treatments to help with carpal tunnel syndrome. That includes using advanced diagnostics such as nerve conduction study. This is a test that measures how well nerve impulses are able to move through your nerves.
Once they have a clear understanding of your medical condition, they’ll tailor their approach to suit your needs.
There is a wide range of treatment options that could be included in your plan, including:
- Therapeutic exercises, stretches, and massage to relax, strengthen, and promote healing of your wrist and arm.
- Education on preventative measures, including analyzing the repetitive tasks in your daily routine and helping you find ways to perform them safely.
- Post-surgery rehab if your condition has progressed so far that it requires surgery such as a carpal tunnel release.
- Wrist splinting for relieving nighttime symptoms by keeping your wrist in a neutral position while you sleep.
- Wrist braces to help you get back to activities sooner without aggravating the condition.
There are a number of simple measures you can take to reduce your risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, such as:
- Take breaks regularly
- Set up your workstation properly. For example: keep your keyboard at elbow height or slightly lower.
- Use less force. For example: when typing, hit the keys softly.
If you are dealing with the pain and limitations of carpal tunnel syndrome, don’t hesitate to see a doctor. Starting treatment as early as possible is one of the best things you can do.
Activa Clinics is the perfect place to get treated. We offer a warm and welcoming environment in our modern, spa-like clinics. Our health care professionals take pride in treating every patient with care and compassion. We will work hard to get to the root cause of your issues and help you achieve your health goals.