Wrist pain, numbness in your fingers, and even clumsiness indicate a possible problem. While it could indicate something like a herniated disc, the more likely culprit is carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel starts with mild and annoying symptoms, but if left untreated, it can progress to something more serious, painful, and long-lasting.
In severe cases, surgery is the best course of treatment. However, chiropractic adjustments can not only provide relief from carpal tunnel syndrome but also prevent its recurrence.
What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
The carpal tunnel is an opening in your wrist. It’s formed by the carpal bones on the bottom of your wrist and the transverse carpal ligament that runs across the top. Your median nerve, which connects to your thumb and three middle fingers, can be compressed as it passes through the carpal tunnel.
Causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Ultimately, carpal tunnel syndrome is pressure on the median nerve, there’s often more than one cause. Risk factors include:
- Narrow carpal tunnel. Some people have a narrow passageway, while osteoarthritis or wrist trauma can also narrow the tunnel.
- Inflammation and swelling. Repetitive movements, extending and flexing the wrist often, and rheumatoid arthritis can cause swelling that causes nerve compression.
- Other causes. Straining or spraining your wrist, diabetes, and obesity are additional risks.
Early Stage Symptoms
The most common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are tingling, numbness, or burning sensation in the thumb, index, middle, or ring fingers. Most patients experience carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms at night or just as they wake up, but they fade with some shaking or massage.
These symptoms happen sporadically but indicate the nerve is compressed. Without intervention, the symptoms will progress, and you’ll begin to feel:
- Aching in the wrist, hand, or forearm
- Numbness or weakness in your hand or wrist
- Tightness or swelling in your fingers or wrist
- A swollen sensation in the hands and fingers even when there’s no visible swelling
- Numbness in the fingers that spreads to the palm
- Difficulty making a fist or pinching your fingers together.
Warning Signs Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Is Progressing
If the median nerve remains compressed, you’ll notice more frequent and long-lasting signs of carpal tunnel, such as:
- Frequent numbness, burning pain, or tingling in your fingers
- Persistent aches and pains in your hand, wrist, or forearm
- Weakness or difficulty gripping things
- Clumsiness or difficulty opening jars or manipulating small objects
- Fingers that feel swollen or constricted
- Pain that wakes you up at night
- A shock sensation down your arm
- Reduced grip strength
These warning signs of carpal tunnel syndrome can make it difficult to perform routine tasks and interfere with your daily activities.
Symptoms of Late-Stage or Chronic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Without treatment, you’ll feel near-constant pain, numbness, and tingling in the hand and thumb, accompanied by weakness. Other severe carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms are:
- Constant numbness, tingling, and pain
- Loss of feeling in the hand and fingers
- Loss of coordination and function in your hand
- Persistent wrist pain that makes it hard to sleep
- Loss of dexterity
- Unable to feel objects in your hand
- Numbness and tingling in the back of the hand
- Wrist pain that doesn’t go away with shaking or massage
Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
In most cases, nonsurgical options can treat carpal tunnel syndrome. Resting the wrist and taking anti-inflammatory medications can relieve pain immediately while wearing a wrist splint can prevent further damage to the median nerve. In more advanced cases, corticosteroid injections can relieve carpal tunnel syndrome pain, and physical therapy can improve wrist and finger flexibility and function.
In more severe cases, carpal tunnel surgery may be necessary. Carpal tunnel release surgery can relieve pressure on the median nerve and restore hand and finger function.
Chiropractic for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
If you’ve tried nonsurgical treatment and want to avoid carpal tunnel release surgery, chiropractic care and adjustments may provide relief.
Though a misaligned spine won’t cause carpal tunnel, it can aggravate existing symptoms like wrist pain. Without realizing it, you may hold your arms, hands, or wrists in an awkward position which could cause nerve compression. Chiropractic adjustments can realign your spine, helping you hold your arms, wrists, and hands at the proper angle and relieve the pressure on your median nerve.
Chiropractors can also provide physical exercises to help counteract the damage caused by repetitive motions you perform at work and instruct you on how to set up an ergonomically correct workstation to prevent recurrence.
Find Relief
While carpal tunnel has multiple causes, chiropractic care can provide relief no matter the cause. Realigning your spine and lifestyle tips that improve your ergonomics can reduce the pain caused by carpal tunnel syndrome and stop it from recurring.
The compassionate team at Flourish Chiropractic Spa is here to help. Our knowledgeable practitioners will perform precise, gentle adjustments that reduce pain and improve your hand, wrist, and finger function. Schedule your appointment today.
