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Hey everyone, this month will be a short, sweet, right-to-the-point newsletter on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. (Simplified)
What is it?
What causes it?
How do we correct it?
What is it;
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is when the big ligament that wraps around the palm side of the wrist called the Flexor Retinaculum puts pressure on the Median Nerve causing numbness and weakness in the first (thumb) second and third fingers.
What causes it?
There are a couple of causes of Carpal Tunnel syndrome.
First, it can be caused by the repetitive strain at the wrist and forearm which can cause localized inflammation at the carpal tunnel.
In other cases, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome could be a double crush injury in which there is compression of the nerve at the neck causing a muscle imbalance in the flexors and extensors of the forearm. Picture opening and closing of the hand. Imagine working at a computer with a forward posture. This position will greatly add pressure to the nervous system in the neck. For every inch, the head is in front of the shoulder doubles the pressure on the spine. This pressure causes the disks to degenerate faster due to not allowing blood/nutrients to get to it, plus disrupting the communication in the nerves down the arm. Staring at your phone also doesn't help. This is known as text neck.
Now, combine the above with overuse of the forearm muscles since we mostly grip/squeeze/type, etc. that's a perfect environment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. aka putting pressure on the median nerve that passes through the carpal tunnel.
How do we correct it here at Health Within?
At our clinic, we get the best results by combining chiropractic therapy, physiotherapy, shockwave, and laser therapy. If you're wondering why I didn't include massage (at this stage) make sure you read the entire newsletter.
Chiropractic is in most cases the first step. You need to "clear" the neck first. You need to make sure the "communication" is good and the pressure is off the nervous system. It will also keep you aligned.
The neck from the side should resemble the shape of a banana. Your ear should align with your shoulder. If not, you may have a "reverse curve" starting and this will lead to many other issues down the road.
Physiotherapy can help address the mobility of the spine and address muscular imbalances for long term relief. In addition, nerve glide exercises have been shown to help decrease pain, and improve numbness and tingling.
Shockwave therapy over the carpal tunnel and forearm can help stimulate nerve regeneration and help decrease forearm muscular tension. This can be performed by our chiropractors or physiotherapist.
Laser Therapy will help your body heal those damaged tissues faster which is causing the inflammation.
What about massage? Picture this. You have a forward head carriage, aka bad posture. The muscles in the back of your neck will be saying "hey! your neck is supposed to be over here!" This will cause them to tighten to "pull" the head back. This will cause pain/tightness and in most cases headaches. Now if you massage those tight muscles to loosen them, which way will the head fall? Exactly, it will fall forward and create the problem you may be starting with.
Once you address the other causes and correct them, then you can massage the neck. In the meantime, stick with massage in other areas.
Finding the right treatment first starts with a thorough evaluation in order to identify the source(s) of the problem. To learn more or to schedule an evaluation please contact us at Health Within:
Written by Julius Toltesi & Shawn Fontaine PT
