Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
“How to Get Rid of Numbness and Pain in your Hands. Improve your Strength and ability to use your hands without discomfort!”
What is Carpal Tunnel?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is numbness, tingling or weakness in the hand caused by a compression of the median nerve at the wrist. The median nerve passes under the transverse carpal ligament in the wrist and provides sensation to the thumb, index, middle and half of the ring finger. Under normal situations the nerve glides smoothly over the tendons and bones of the wrist. However, repetitive or overuse of the hand, wrist or arm may promote inflammation and compress the median nerve causing the pain, numbness or tingling as well as possibly decreasing innervations of the muscles of the hand resulting in weakness.
What causes Carpal Tunnel?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is often the result of a combination of factors that reduce the space for the median nerve within the carpal tunnel, rather than a specific problem with the nerve itself.
The most common causes include:
1) Trauma or injury to the wrist causing swelling.
2) Repetitive/overuse of the hands and wrist.
3) Fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause.
4) Being overweight.
5) Rheumatoid Arthritis, diabetes, gout, lupus.
Impairments Carpal Tunnel can cause
Carpal Tunnel can make the simplest of tasks seem difficult. Tasks like handling small objects, getting dressed, typing, mouse use, texting, driving or forceful grasping. You may even begin to drop things without noticing.
Work productivity can decline due to pain and numbness. Alterations in lifting or carrying objects in attempt to minimize pain can lead to issues in other areas of the body such as the elbow and shoulder. Regular daily activities can become much more difficult and exhausting to perform because of Carpal Tunnel symptoms. We rely heavily on being able to simply care for ourselves. When this becomes painful, the tendency is to avoid the pain, thus leading to more sedentary behavior. This decline in activity can affect the whole body by causing weakness of muscles, stiffness of joints and drop in energy levels.
Physiologically, the pain often stems from…
• Compression of the median nerve resulting in numbness, tingling and pain.
• Trauma to the wrist such as a fracture or sprain can cause increases in inflammation.
• Overuse or repetitive activities also cause increases in swelling.
• Fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause.
• Improper hand and wrist positioning while at the computer.
When should I worry?
• If symptoms have been present for more than 7-14 days and do not appear to be improving.
• If you have taken drugs, such as an anti-inflammatory, but it no longer helps to reduce symptoms.
• If light use of your hands becomes more painful and progresses from just occasional pain and numbness to more prolonged pain and numbness while at rest.
When does it become an emergency?
• If you have pain and numbness at rest or unable to sleep through the night.
• If you begin having pain in other areas such as the forearm and elbow.
• If you notice constant numbness or tingling in the fingers.
• If you start having progressively more severe pain and numbness that radiates up the arm.
• If you begin to drop items without noticing.
If you experience any of these symptoms, contact us immediately.
Traditional treatments that most try but are not as effective include:
• Drugs or anti-inflammatories
• Ice or Heat
• Generic Physical Therapy (ultrasound, electric stimulation, etc.)
• Steroid injections
If left untreated, Carpal Tunnel can lead to SIGNIFICANT FUNCTIONAL LOSSES.
In severe cases of Carpal Tunnel, weakness, loss of function and loss of sensation can occur. The median nerve carry’s signals from motor neurons that innervate muscles. These muscles begin to deteriorate and waste away leading to function loss. Permanent nerve damage can also occur if left untreated.
Try this Self-Test to see if you have Carpal Tunnel
The test for Carpal Tunnel is called a Phalen’s Test. It was discovered by an American orthopedist named George S. Phalen.
1. Start by holding both arms in front of you with palms down.
2. Next, let your hands hang down(flex wrists).
3. Hold for 60 seconds. If at any point during the 60 seconds you start to feel tingling or numbness it is likely you have Carpal Tunnel.
4. Relax arms down and extend wrists to a resting position should ease the tingling as the median nerve is no longer being compressed.
1. Start by holding both arms in front of you with palms together.
2. Hold for 60 seconds. If at any point during the 60 seconds you start to feel tingling or numbness it is likely you have Carpal Tunnel.
3. Relax arms down while flexing wrists to a resting position should ease the tingling as the median nerve is no longer being stretched.
DISCLAIMER: This is not a complete diagnostic test. It may be necessary to have a full evaluation by a physical therapist to get a more accurate diagnosis.
“How do you treat or prevent Carpal Tunnel and return to pain-free exercising, sports and recreation?”
My revolutionary “Carpal Tunnel Solutions” pain relieving program helps to get rid of symptoms quickly. Many get relief after the first session. Depending on the complexity of your condition (how long you have had it, severity of symptoms, other medically related factors such as diabetes), it may take up to 6-12 sessions to fix.
I discovered this solution while working with hundreds of patients who have suffered from Carpal Tunnel. As I treated their Carpal Tunnel, I noticed that there was not only improvement in pain levels, but there was also an improvement in hand and wrist strength.
Through research and treatment, I discovered the importance of stretching the median nerve. This stretch helped relax the median nerve and decrease the pain and numbness.
By the way, this treatment is all-natural. There are no drugs with harmful side effects. There are no painful injections. Most importantly, there is absolutely no surgery involved. It’s all done through proper movement and challenging muscles in a functional way.
This discovery has led to a dramatic increase in how fast my patients got better. They were able to be active again. They were able to gain strength and function that they never had before. They were able to play sports, participate in recreation, work, and live their life again!
Not all treatments are the same.
Not all traditional Carpal Tunnel treatments lead to improving your level of function. Believe it or not, some do not address these other areas and muscles that help to get you to the next level and keep you there! Not all practitioners treat hand pain and Carpal Tunnel the same and not all treatments target these muscle groups properly and effectively.
My method is highly unique. I focus on creating balance of all muscle groups that feed into your hand and wrist pain (looking more at the entire body rather than just the hand itself) to get quick, maximum results.
My years of experience and research has led to the discovery of this revolutionary new way to stop Carpal Tunnel pain in almost anyone of any age, body type, or condition.
“How quickly will I see results?”
1. Most feel better immediately. You can expect the pain and mobility of your wrist and hand to improve after the very first session.
2. You could see an improvement in strength, dexterity and coordination after just 1-2 weeks with this program.
3. Most are finished with the program in 6 sessions and then continue on their own with the “next step” progressions that are provided to each participant. Some conditions are more complex and require 12 sessions.
“What’s my next step?”
If your serious about getting rid of Carpal Tunnel pain call us directly at (301)356-5500.