Are you wondering to yourself ‘how do I fix carpel tunnel?’ If so, please read on as that’s exactly what this Blog by Body@Boronia in Melbourne is all about!
Wrist pain can be quite common, and one of the most common causes for pain over the palm side of the wrist and hand is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). CTS is a condition that presents when one of the larger nerves that travels from your shoulder down to the tip of your fingers (known as the Median nerve) gets compressed as it passes through the wrist. The ‘tunnel’ is a small space in the wrist, made up on one side by the wrist bones (the ‘carpals’), and a soft tissue covering on the other side. Alongside the nerve travels a group of tendons from the forearm, and once all of that has passed through the tunnel, there isn’t a lot of room for anything else. When you have a lot of repetitive wrist movement over a prolonged period of time, such as typing at a desk day in, day out, and the structures running through the tunnel become irritated and inflamed making an already small space even smaller, resulting in the nerve being compressed, CPS symptoms will start to creep in.
Signs and symptoms
Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) can be characterised by the following signs and symptoms:
- Burning wrist pain (on the palm side of the wrist)
- Numbness, pins and needles, or tingling of the thumb, index, middle and inside part of the ring finger
- Night time symptoms
- Pain that radiates to the forearm, elbow or even the shoulder
- Reproduction of symptoms when compressing or tapping over the palm side of the wrist
As well as repetitive motions of the wrist (as commonly experienced by desk-based workers, sports people, and even our own manual therapists), CTS can be caused by some underlying conditions such as Diabetes Mellitus, Thyroid disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, high blood pressure and from fluid retention associated with pregnancy or menopause. Trauma or fractures in the wrist may also lead to this condition. Unfortunately, if you are female, you are also three times more likely to experience this problem than men.
Treatment
If caught early, this problem can be managed conservatively with a combination of the following treatments:
- Soft tissue release, joint mobilisation/manipulation
- Anti-inflammatory medication
- Splinting of the wrist, particularly at night time
More severe and persistent cases may require more invasive treatments including having a steroid injection, or possibly surgery to decompress the nerve.
If you have wrist pain, and you think you have symptoms and want to know how to fix Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) then please click on the Contact link and get in touch – the qualified and experienced team at Body@Boronia can carry out a thorough assessment and give you an accurate diagnosis, and the right advice, tools and help to fix the issue.
References
- Brukner & Khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine Volume 1 – Injuries (5th ed) – ISBN 978-1743761380
- Wipperman, J and Goerl, K, 2016. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Diagnosis and Management. American Family Physician. 94 (12).
