Signs or Symptoms
- Tingling or numbness in your fingers, except your little finger, or hand
- Pain radiating or extending from your wrist up the front of your arm
- Weakness in your hands
- A tendency to drop objects
- Loss of feeling in some fingers
Description
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve at the wrist. The median nerve provides sensation to your thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. Pressure on the nerve can stem from anything that reduces the space for it in the carpal tunnel. Causes might include anything from bone spurs to the most common cause, which is swelling or thickening of the outermost layer of the tendons in your carpal tunnel.
Causes
Usually repetitive stress such as over use of the hands in poor mechanical positions is the cause.
Standard Treatment
Braces to be worn at night, anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections and surgery to open the tunnel.
AK Approach
This condition is the end result of trauma to the wrist. It could have started as a single incident or be the end result of many minor traumas. Here, the stress has caused pressure on the nerves going to the thumb and first two fingers. The treatment begins by assessing what muscles, tendons and ligaments have been damaged and returning them to normal functioning. The positions of the bones of the wrist are evaluated and manipulation is used to realign them if they are found “out of place”. Testing is used to determine if there are basic nutritional imbalances that are limiting your body’s ability to produce natural anti-inflammatory agents to effectively speed the recovery. Other lifestyle modifications are used to prevent or minimize exacerbating the condition. A specific program for your needs is created.