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Did you know?
A carpal tunnel patient pays about $30,000 in medical bills and loses hours of productivity from work absences over his or her lifetime.
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most expensive of all work-related injuries.
Your doctors here at Austin’s TexStar Chiropractic can educate you about CTS and to advise you that chiropractic treatment is one of the fastest growing treatment solutions for today’s CTS patients.
What Is CTS?
CTS is a problem of the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand. CTS occurs when the median nerve gets compressed in the carpal tunnel—a narrow tunnel at the wrist made up of bones and soft tissues, such as nerves, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. The compression may result in pain, weakness, and/or numbness in the hand and wrist, which radiates up into the forearm. CTS is the most common of the “entrapment neuropathies”—compression or trauma of the body’s nerves in the hands or feet.
What are the symptoms of CTS?
Burning, tingling, itching, and/or numbness in the palm of the hand and thumb, index, and middle fingers are most common. Some people with CTS say that their fingers feel useless and swollen, even though little or no swelling is apparent. Since many people sleep with flexed wrists, the symptoms often first appear while sleeping. As symptoms worsen, they may feel tingling during the day. In addition, weakened grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist or grasp small objects. Some people develop wasting of the muscles at the base of the thumb. What’s more, some are unable to distinguish hot from cold.
What are some common treatments of CTS?
- Steroid Injections around the affected nerve
- Hand/Wrist Rehab to strengthen the hand muscles that support the carpal tunnel
- Immobilizing the wrist in a splint to avoid further damage from twisting or bending
- Cold Laser Therapy to help reduce nerve inflammation
- Pharmaceuticals to control the pain
- Surgery to cut the ligament that encloses the carpal tunnel
How can your chiropractor help?
Chiropractic treatment can be effectively incorporated in lieu of surgery in many cases. For those who do require surgery, medical doctors increasingly refer their patients to the local chiropractor for post-surgical care.
Your chiropractor will likely employ a combination of joint manipulation and soft tissue treatments of the wrist and hand to help create a more stable carpal tunnel and allow the compressed nerves to heal. Your chiropractor will also likely recommend a customized regiment of hand stretching and strengthening exercises based on the unique nature of your case.
Contact us:
Dr. Henry and his team will gladly consult you on your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome issues and how you might resolve your pain without resorting to painful surgery or drugs. Call or contact us anytime!
