Did you know that carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common causes of hand pain? It’s a condition when the pressure on the median nerve in your wrist gets so bad that it affects how well you can use your hands. As a result, you may end up with tingling, numbness, or pain.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can also affect other parts of the body like your neck and shoulders. If you’re experiencing any symptoms, please contact us or visit Herring Chiropractic Clinic located in Tallassee, AL, to schedule an appointment today.
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What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
One of the most common causes of hand pain is carpal tunnel syndrome when pressure on the median nerve in your wrist gets so bad that it affects how well you can use your hands. People who suffer from carpal tunnel may experience tingling, numbness or pain.
This condition can also affect the quality of your life as it can dramatically affect other parts of your body like your neck and shoulders.
What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by the compression or pressure on the median nerve in one’s wrist. This happens when there isn’t enough room for it to travel through, usually because of swelling in fluid at that area from repetitive motion or injury over time.
Many things can cause this, such as excessive hands (especially if you have work-related injuries), pregnancy, and arthritis. It also runs along genetic lines, which means some people may be more susceptible than others because their bone structure is smaller than average, making them prone to needing surgery earlier on in life.
The main symptom besides pain is numbness in your hands. It may start gradually and then get worse over time if not treated properly.
What are the treatments?
The two main treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome are physical therapy or surgery. Physical therapy, or for most, chiropractic care, is a great option to help reduce pain and swelling caused by carpal tunnel syndrome, which will ultimately lead to other symptoms like numbness getting better.
Surgery isn’t always recommended, but it’s an option some people choose when their symptoms don’t improve with treatment from physical therapy or because they periodically worsen. It is something called a “tethered cord” – one of those reasons why someone would need this procedure done, especially if there have been no improvements after three months.
But before you take the surgery route, make sure you consult with your physician to see if they recommend it or not. If surgery is not your preferred treatment, you may want to consider a more natural and drug-free approach—chiropractic care.
Dr. Caroline Herring of Herring Chiropractic Clinic located in Tallassee, AL, offers chiropractic treatments for people with this condition as a safe form of care they can turn to without any side effects.
In addition, we make an effort to help our patients find relief from their symptoms by using non-surgical methods that are holistic treatment options such as spinal adjustment, cold laser therapy, and massage, to name a few.
People who are always on their cell phone or any device with a screen for long periods may experience carpal tunnel. It can also be caused by repetitive motions from work that involve your hands, such as assembly line work (auto manufacturing), construction, and other manual labor jobs.
Not everyone will get diagnosed; some people are more prone to the symptoms because they have less space between their nerves and tendons than others, which means it gets pinched easier when there’s pressure on it.
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome
To help you find the perfect treatment for your condition, you first need to understand the cause. For example, Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition where the median nerve in your arm becomes compressed at the wrist.
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome;
- Wrist pain is aggravated by repetitive use and gripping or twisting motions, especially repeated tasks using fingers on both hands such as typing, knitting, playing an instrument, etc.
- Pain from pressure on nerve endings traveling to the hand causes numbness and tingling feelings with eventual weakness if left untreated.
- Weak grip strength because muscles are not being used properly due to nerves becoming stretched over time, causing inflammation, leading to cramps. This will eventually lead to ulnar neuropathy that can cause permanent damage.
You don’t need to feel all the symptoms before you seek help. However, if you notice any signs and your work starts to suffer, it’s time to find a chiropractor in Tallassee, AL, for help.
How a Chiropractor can help with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Chiropractors are not just your typical “back doctor” that deals with back pain and spine issues. Instead, they are highly trained health care professionals who also specialize in conditions like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).
A chiropractor can help with carpal tunnel syndrome by adjusting the pressure on your spinal cord, where nerves that provide sensation to your arms come from. The adjustment may relieve some of the compression or irritation of these important nerves, so you don’t have as much numbness, tingling sensations, or muscle weakness when they go untreated for too long.
The adjustments loosen up knotted-up tissues around joints that might be pulling on a nerve – an issue known as “pinched nerve.” For those affected by CTS, this could mean relief from numbing fingers and pain in the hands.
A chiropractor will tell if CTS is causing your symptoms and offer a safe, natural solution that could work for you!
Other treatments for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Taking care of the pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome is important as this can affect the quality of your life. A chiropractor can help treat the pain and improve quality of life through natural means, including stretching, strengthening exercises, massage therapy, nutrition advice, and other holistic treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Many will visit a doctor for relief from their symptoms when it comes to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. However, you must take care of yourself first before seeing any professional as this could be something you need to address daily or not at all depending on how bad it gets.
The key is taking time out once in a while to stretch and strengthen those muscles, so they don’t get weaker than they already are if there’s any weakness going on, especially because CTS causes swelling, which makes the problem worse.
A chiropractor can help with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by providing you with stretches and strengthening exercises that will work on your wrist while relieving any pain associated with the condition.
They may even recommend some changes to what you are eating, so there’s not as much pressure being put on those joints when they go through their natural movements throughout the day; which could relieve a lot of pain in just a few minutes or hours, depending on how severe it is.
The other benefit of seeing someone like this is massage therapy, both deep tissue, and sports massage. It has been proven helpful for people with carpal tunnel syndrome because it helps loosen up tight muscles that are causing tension and making things feel worse than they are.
Prevention for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Dealing with the pain can be a daunting task, especially when your health is compromised. As with many conditions, it’s best to try and find a way to prevent the onset of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
This is possible through regular usage of wrist support, ergonomic workstation set up, and being conscious during your daily activities such as typing on your computer or using tools at home.
The best thing you can do for yourself if you think that this pain has already started happening is to speak with a chiropractor right away so they can help relieve some of the pressure from your nerves before it becomes too much.
They may take an x-ray and then apply hands-on treatment, which includes adjustments to stretch out those muscles while also using therapeutic massage techniques.
There are some proven and effective exercises you can do at home to help with the pain, too. These include stretching exercises and hand massage techniques to relieve some of the tension you’re feeling from stiff and sore muscles.
Tips to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome from developing;
- Take frequent breaks and stretch
- Stabilization of the wrist
- Set up of ergonomic workstations (height, monitors)
- Keep an eye on your wrists and hands whenever you perform any activity
- Preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by avoiding repetitive motions is key
A chiropractor can help with the carpal tunnel by providing hands-on treatment and therapeutic massage techniques to stretch out those muscles while also applying adjustments, including x-rays.
It’s best to speak with a chiropractor right away if you think this pain has already started happening so they can begin to relieve some of the pressure from your nerves before it becomes too much. Before any adjustments occur, the courteous team of Herring Chiropractic Clinic will assess your x-rays to see where the pressure is coming from and what needs adjusting. Or you can contact them at their website at www.herringchiropracticclinic.com
A chiropractor will also provide you with some exercises that can be done at home to help with the pain, such as stretching exercises and hand massage techniques.
Final words
In conclusion, a chiropractor is a perfect person to see for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome because they know exactly what you’re going through and can provide relief from symptoms that are causing pain daily or just some of the time, depending on how severe it gets.
A visit may be all you need to get back in control of your life without having any surgery or medication, which could do more harm than good when you don’t know if it’s something minor and will eventually go away with time. So take care first before seeing someone else.
