Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Pain and Numbness

 

When most people think about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, they think of people with wrist pain after spending too many hours on the computer. While this is partially correct, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome involves much more.

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There is a nerve in the body that travels from the bottom of your neck the whole way down your arm into your hand. When this nerve is squeezed, particularly near the wrist, a person can experience an array of unpleasant symptoms such as numbness and burning pain that affect the forearm, hand and wrist.

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What are the warning signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

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• Numbness, tingling, and pins-and-needles sensation in the forearm, wrist, hand, palm, or fingers (especially in the thumb and pointer finger).

• Gradual loss of grip strength. For example, some people begin to find it more difficult to open a jar lid, twist a screwdriver, or do other tasks with their hands.

• Feelings of coldness in the hand, wrist, and forearm.

• Shooting pain (sometimes described as burning pain) in the wrist, forearm, and neck.

• The hand becomes clumsier. For example, it may become harder for a person to do detailed tasks with their fingers. They might also begin dropping objects more frequently.

 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome pain can intensify at night. Many people suffering from this disorder complain of aches and pains in their forearm and wrist that keep them from sleeping comfortably at night, ultimately causing sleep loss.

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This disorder is usually caused by a person repeating the same activities over and over with their hands and arms. Examples of such activities would be: computer operation, data entry, playing a musical instrument, assembly line work, food preparation, carpentry, dog grooming, electrical work, golfing, quilting, and other repetitive motion tasks. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can also happen when a person works for extended periods of time with their hand and wrist at an awkward or unusual angle, or when a person must maintain a strong grip with their wrist bent.

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Certain health conditions can contribute to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, including Diabetes, arthritis, and obesity.

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Early diagnosis and treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is important to increase a person’s chances of full recovery.

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Traditional medical treatment often involves medication and surgery and typically focuses on the wrist rather than looking at the entire arm. If someone with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome does not receive sufficient treatment, and continues to do activities which cause nerve damage and harm to the surrounding tissues of the wrist, the condition can advance and surgery may be necessary.

 

The good news is that chiropractic, massage therapy, and acupuncture provide a natural form of treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by relieving the cause of the nerve irritation. If Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caught early enough, these natural alternatives provide a more effective and permanent treatment solution than simply attempting to cover up its painful symptoms with medication.