Carpal tunnel syndrome is a form of repetitive strain injury which causes varying degrees of irritation and pain in the wrist and fingers. The most common form of treatment is corrective surgery. However, some alternative medicine practitioners believe it is possible to heal carpal tunnel syndrome naturally.
What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
A nerve called the median nerve originates at the spine, traveling down the arm, through the wrist, and into the fingers. On its way, the nerve passes through a tunnel of tendons in our wrist called the carpal tunnel.
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve touches the wall of the tunnel, causing irritation and discomfort. The nerve comes into contact with the wall when it becomes swollen, or the tunnel becomes constricted.
The main symptoms affect the hand and wrist and include:
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Weakness
- Burning
- Pain
The median nerve does not run into the little finger so, if your symptoms include pain in your little finger, carpal tunnel syndrome is not the culprit.
Chiropractic treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome
If you’d prefer to avoid medication or surgery, consider having chiropractic treatment. Research shows that joint and muscle pain could be related to the misalignment of muscles, ligaments, and bones in different parts of your body.
Chiropractors believe that carpal tunnel pain originates in the upper spine and not in the wrist or arm. They say that interference can happen anywhere along the nerve pathways that run from the spine to the fingers. A chiropractic examination of the spine can identify any anomaly that could be compressing the nerve.
A natural treatment regime may include trigger point therapy, spinal adjustments, and exercises you can do at home. One study showed that trigger point therapy on its own helps improve carpal tunnel syndrome pain in at least 67 percent of patients.
Your chiropractor’s first goal is to relieve the pain and irritation in your arm and wrist with gentle manipulations of the wrist, arm, and spine. Their focus will then shift to the neck. Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome often have limited movement in their neck, especially when trying to turn it to the side of the body with the carpal tunnel symptoms.
In most cases, your chiropractor will supplement their professional treatment with a home-based exercise regime. Together, these two methods can help to alleviate the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
If you would like to find out more about alternative ways of treating carpal tunnel syndrome, seek out a chiropractor who can heal carpal tunnel syndrome naturally in Garden City, MI.
Francis Burns is an avid writer from Louisiana. With a Bachelor’s in English and a background in journalism, Francis has been writing for a variety of media outlets for the last five years. He specializes in stories about the local culture and loves to fill his work with inspiring words. When not writing, Francis enjoys exploring the outdoors of Louisiana and photographing nature.
