Alternative Treatments To Carpal Tunnel

I have learned over my years of how much we like to abuse ourselves.  We are a bit on the massacistic level if you think about it.  How often do we continue to do things to our bodies that is damaging?  By definition, that is massacism.  We play sports that result in concussions and broken bones.  Sleep on beds that are so old that it has received the affectionate name of a taco bed.  And work in jobs that are the cause of repetitive use injuries.  The one that is probably the most common is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  Such a scary condition to many who rely upon their hands for the work that they do.  Imagine every time that you grasp something, you have a shooting pain that radiates to your finger tips or up your wrist to your elbow.  Add this to the days, weeks, months, and sadly, years of your life.  What tends to happen is a condition called atrophy, or a shrinking of muscle mass.  When this happens you have two problems.  You have severe pain, and you have a weakening of muscle.

Is Surgery the Best Option?

The common treatment that many will run to is surgery.  I will admit that surgery can be the only thing that will help some.  Unfortunately, it isn’t always the best treatment for all.  In order for a full explaination of how this is the case, we need to talk more about the anatomy of the arm and wrist.  To keep it simple, our arm has a complex nerve system that combines into key nerves that provide function and use of our arms and hands.  The common school of thought is that the nerves get pinched by this band of ligament called Flexor Retinaculum.  Surgeons will cut your wrist open and then trim or cut this band.  The desired result is to take pressure off of the nerve eliminating the pain.

For some, the surgery is the best thing since sliced bread.  However, if there was a way to correct the problem without having to endure surgery and it’s consequences, would it be of interest to you?  Many people say “Of course.”  Well, I’m here to present a possible option which makes a lot of sense.

Many carpal tunnel syndrome victims work in an industry that requires repetetive use of their hands.  It often is a job where you are looking down towards your hand which now turns it into a neck involvement.  Do you remember the nerves that I mentioned earlier?  Well, the same nerves come out of your neck and go down into your arms.  If you are putting a chronic strain on the muscles and other soft tissue in your neck, eventually you will start to develop inflammation which begin to “pinch” the nerves.  This pinching will have direct impact on how well the brain can communicate with its target tissue, but it will also result in pain.  I like to compare it to a garden hose.  If you have a hose that is pumping out water and you stand on the hose by the spigot, where do you see the result of your foot on the hose?  Do you see it at the foot, or do you see it in a reduced output of water at the end?  Of course it is at the end of the hose.  You can compare the nerves to a hose.  If you have pressure on the nerve the result is often seen at the end of the nerve.  Our hands are the end of the path for the nerves that leave our neck.  Pressure at the neck will cause pain in the wrist and hands.

Eliminate the pressure, and the results of the pressure begin to go away, surgery free. There are a few things that I am not fond of.  Needles, and being cut are two of them.  If I knew that I could avoid either of them and still have a way of correcting a problem, I am going to try those first.  If they don’t work then, I will go a little more invasive.  If you are suffering from carpal tunnel syndrom, I encourage you to give us a call.  The Whiplash Center of Utah has been successful in helping eliminate carpal tunnel syndrome with many of our patients.  All you need to do is call 435-674-7515 and we will begin the process of returning to life before the problem.