Carpal Tunnel Syndrome seems to be more common today, but that doesn’t mean that it’s any better to deal with. Carpal Tunnel is a condition that causes pain, numbness, and tingling that travels from the arm, down through the hand. It happens when one of the main nerves that travels through the center of the wrist, the median nerve, is compressed or pinched at the wrist joint. It gets worse over time if it is left untreated, so early diagnosis is key. If caught early enough, carpal tunnel can be treated with a simple wrist brace, a lack of certain motions, and careful hand positions. However, if it is not addressed and the activity causing the pressure on the nerve is continued, the damage will only continue to worsen. It can quickly reach a point where surgery is required to reduce the pain and relieve the pressure causing the damage to the nerve.
There are a few reasons why there seems to be such an increase in carpal tunnel syndrome diagnoses lately. The most common belief is that people are spending more time on computers. Typing on a keyboard lends itself to a certain position of the hands and wrist, which causes an increase in pressure on the median nerve. Some people try to use cushions under the wrist on both their keyboards and mouse pads in an attempt to combat this. Although this won’t completely prevent carpal tunnel, it can only help to keep prolonged pressure off of your wrists. Keeping your wrists elevated slightly is a good way to reduce the damage to the nerve. While there are other factors that can increase your chance of getting carpal tunnel, such as family history and other health conditions, anything you can do to mitigate your risk is worth the effort.
If you have been experiencing any sort of numbness, tingling, burning, or hand and wrist pain, especially centralized in your thumb or middle fingers, give DiBella Chiropractic a call right away. If you are experiencing any weakness or pain that travels up your arm and into your shoulder, let us know when you call to set up your appointment. We will do our best to get you into our office quickly and see if your symptoms are due to carpal tunnel. If they are, we can work with you to deal with your pain without jumping to medication or surgery, so call us today!
