Carpal Tunnel Pain?

chiropractic care helps patients with carpal tunnel syndrome

Did you know that just as nerves become pinched in your back by the bones in your spine, the bones in your wrist may also compress nearby nerves giving rise to the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome? While many people seek treatment through surgical means, our Wilmington chiropractor at King Chiropractic Hand & Foot has had success in treating carpel tunnel syndrome through non-invasive adjustments to the bones of the wrist.

With surgical procedures costing anywhere between $6,000 and $11,000 dollars and only resulting in full resolution of symptoms in less than 60% of the cases, many people are beginning to elect a more conservative approach to care. For these reasons, our doctors at King Chiropractic Hand & Foot have prepared this short article to provide you some general information about carpal tunnel and the alternative treatment solutions available.


Carpal Tunnel in Wilmington

Many people visit our clinic with complaints of wrist pain and questions regarding what exactly carpal tunnel syndrome feels like. Typically, as the median nerve is compressed due to swelling and bony misalignments of the wrist, patients begin to feel sensations of burning, pain, tingling, or swelling extending from the first to the third digit and the thumb. It is not uncommon for patients to report that they have recently noticed weakness throughout the affected hand or that picking up small objects isn’t as easy as usual. Occasionally people develop the feeling of swelling in their hand as the median nerve becomes compressed, even when no swelling is present.

In addition to questions about what carpal tunnel syndrome feels like, patients often wonder how they developed the condition. Typically, the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome isn’t completely evident. However, some patients are able to recall an injury to the wrist that caused the symptoms to develop shortly after. Certain occupations have also been shown to contribute to the development of the condition with jobs that involve long-term use of vibrating instruments and the repetitious use of the hands and wrist topping the list. Finally, metabolic disorders involving the pituitary and thyroid gland can also contribute to its development.

Depending on the activity, carpal tunnel typically begins in a person’s dominant hand, but symptoms throughout both hands is not uncommon. Unfortunately, many health care professionals only focus on the site of pain when the problem actually lies elsewhere. In fact, it has been shown that patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome in both arms typically have nerve irritation stemming from the spine. This is often why carpal tunnel decompression surgeries are unsuccessful nearly 40% of the time. While carpal tunnel is more common in the dominant hand, it is also nearly 3 times more common in women due to the size of the tunnel itself.


What are the Best Treatments Available?

The most appropriate treatment for your carpal tunnel syndrome largely depends on the underlying cause. As with most conditions, it is advised that patients begin with a non-invasive and more affordable treatment. While prescription medications, decompression surgeries, and forms of physical therapy may provide short-term relief, the symptoms often reappear without the correction of the nerve interference in the spine. Your chiropractor at King Chiropractic Hand & Foot will perform an evaluation of your condition and formulate an individualized treatment plan that best suits you. Following spinal corrections, many patients experience substantial improvements of their symptoms. If symptoms persist, adjustments to the bones of the wrist and therapies to the surrounding tissues is often considered.


Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Causes
There are many causes of Carpal Tunnel and most of them are mechanical. The most common reason Carpal Tunnel develops is from prolonged compression of the nerves through the carpal tunnel such as with long hours of keyboard use or other repetitive stress involving the wrist.

Early treatment may include NSAIDs, exercises and stretches, however, pain or reductions in performance for more than a few days can be due to abnormal mechanics which causes associated muscles and tissues to become overworked and damaged. This leads to repetitive injury, making successful resolution without invasive procedures more difficult, unless treated effectively.


Chiropractic Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
An exam can help the physician to determine if you are a candidate for natural chiropractic treatment or whether you would be better served by visiting an orthopedist or other type provider.

In the majority of cases, this issue can be fixed by addressing the alignment of carpal bones that make up the wrist as well as addressing the soft tissue component using active release or fascial abrasion soft tissue therapy. Care must be taken to educate the individual in work space and ergonomic assessment to help build new habits.


Avoid Surgery: See your Chiropractor
Typically, even severe cases of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be cleared up within just a few weeks and surgery can be avoided.


At King Chiropractic Hand & Foot in Wilmington, NC we understand that making decisions about how to treat carpal tunnel syndrome can be difficult. If you would like more information about carpal tunnel or to schedule a consultation, contact our clinic today.

Monday
9:00am - 1:00pm
3:00pm - 6:00pm


Tuesday
9:00am - 1:00pm


Wednesday
9:00am - 1:00pm
3:00pm - 6:00pm


Thursday
9:00am - 1:00pm
3:00pm - 6:00pm


Friday
Closed


Saturday & Sunday
Closed

King Chiropractic Hand & Foot
6934 Market St
Wilmington, NC 28411
(910) 777-7228