What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when the median nerve gets trapped in the tissue of the wrist known as the carpal tunnel.
The median nerve travels from the outside of your neck, down your arm and into your hand though the carpal tunnel into the wrist. When the tissue is irritated, it can trap the nerve in the carpal tunnel.
Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include:
- –tingling and numbness in the fingers
- –weakness in the fingers
- –pain that goes into the arm
- –pain at night in the hand/arm
- –makes it difficulty to use the hand and arm
What causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Usually carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by repetitive strain along the area of the wrist. Activities that can cause repetitive strain include:
- –typing
- –manual hand work (e.g., massage therapists)
- –gripping activities
Sometimes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome becomes chronic, and the traditional home treatment options that include, anti-inflammatories, wearing night splints and taking a break from repetitive activities, are no longer effective in bringing relief.
Since the median nerve, which is the nerve affected by carpal tunnel syndrome, originates in the neck, we find that in order to alleviate the symptoms of carpal tunnel that have become chronic, it’s necessary to treat any muscular issues that have developed in the head, neck and shoulder. This musculoskeletal issues might have been triggered by the carpal tunnel syndrome, or the carpal tunnel might be a symptom of a larger imbalance in the head/neck/shoulder area.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
It’s important to treat all the muscles that might be causing compensatory changes in the body. This means addressing imbalances and unhealthy muscles in the head, neck, shoulder and arm, as well as the wrist and hand.
If there are fascia restrictions or trigger points in the muscles, you won’t get good blood circulation to all areas of the muscles. This can lead to tightening and constrictions in the muscles, that can tighten around the nerves.
At Rebalance Physical Therapy & Wellness, we use techniques that include trigger point release and myofascial release to get improved blood flow to the nerves. We address all imbalances in the body, improve alignment and, after the body is moving in a healthy manner, we add on strengthening and stretching exercises.
