wear and tear of cervical discs and joints

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a surprisingly common condition that causes pain, numbness, and tingling in the hand and arm.  At Advanced Wellness Solutions, we take a two pronged approach to carpal tunnel syndrome treatment, using both gentle chiropractic care and acupuncture to provide carpal tunnel syndrome treatment.

What is Carpal Tunnel

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in your wrist.  This passageway comes up through the bones (carpals) and ligaments on the palm side of your hand.  The median nerve passes through this narrow passageway to control the muscles in your hand, thumb and 3 of your 4 fingers. (The median nerve doesn’t control your pinky finger.)

When the median nerve is compressed, the symptoms can include numbness, tingling and weakness in the hand and arm.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the tunnel becomes narrowed or when tissues surrounding the flexor tendons swell, putting pressure on the median nerve. ¹ This swelling causes pressure on the median nerve causing pain, numbness and tingling in the hand and arm.²  Left untreated, this pressure on the nerve can eventually cause permanent nerve and muscle damage.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms

One of the most common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome is pain, numbness or tingling in the hand and arm.  These symptoms are usually mild at first but it increase in severity as the condition progresses.

Carpal tunnel syndrome stiffness and immobility is often most severe in the morning.  However, the pain from carpal tunnel syndrome is often most severe at night, preventing healthy, restful sleep.

Since carpal tunnel syndrome affects the nerves and muscles that control the hand, performing common everyday tasks like picking up a glass can become difficult.  Weakness is often mild at first, increasing as the conditions progresses.

Because carpal tunnel syndrome involves the nerves, other symptoms include other symptoms such as:

• a burning sensation in the hands/fingers
• itching in the hands/fingers
• feeling as if the hands/fingers are swollen, even if they’re not.
• reduced sensitivity to hot and cold in the hand/ fingers.

In its early stages, carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms may include your hand tingles and feels weak, or the fingers numb, or both.

Diagnosing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome involves nerve pain due to compression in the wrist.  Unfortunately, pressure on nerves in the neck due to disc problems or arthritis can cause similar symptoms. To confirm the diagnosis, diagnostic imaging may be required.  A nerve conduction study can measure the severity of the compression on the nerve if surgery is needed.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment

Numbness, tingling and pain in your hands, fingers and wrist is an example of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure.  Early correct diagnosis and treatment can dramatically improve your outcome. Treatment modalities depend upon the cause and severity of your symptoms.

Advanced Wellness Solutions offers natural, drug free carpal tunnel syndrome treatment.  Gentle chiropractic care can treat the mechanical nature while acupuncture can address the underlying symptom of inflammation that causes the tissues inside the wrist to swell.

Early intervention is important to avoid surgery.   We’ve had outstanding success using our two pronged approach to treating carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Left Untreated

It’s important to seek treatment if you have signs and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome that interfere with your normal activities and sleep patterns. Permanent nerve and muscle damage can occur without treatment.

You should always seek treatment for symptoms of tingling, numbness and radiating pain.  These are possible symptoms of nerve impingement.  Symptoms will progress if carpal tunnel syndrome is left untreated.  You’ll begin dropping things.  Activities that require fine finger movements, such as writing or fastening buttons, will become more difficult. You may begin to feel you are losing coordinated movement of your fingers. Moving your thumb may also become difficult.  Again, these could also be symptoms of pressure on nerves in the neck due to disc problems or arthritis, so if you don’t schedule treatment with Advanced Wellness Solutions, be sure to discuss your symptoms with your health care professional.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the compression of the median nerve which can lead to permanent nerve and muscle damage without treatment.

Should I Start with Chiropractic Care or Acupuncture to Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

It’s up to you which path you wish to take on your journey of carpal tunnel syndrome treatment.

Chiropractic care addresses the mechanics of musculoskeletal pain while acupuncture addresses inflammation (causing the swelling) and helps natural healing to occur in the body. Choosing to take a two-pronged approach by combining chiropractic and acupuncture can accelerate natural healing.  Our patients who have chosen to take this approach have been delighted with the results.

Chiropractic care and acupuncture can work alone, together or even along side other medical treatments.

Which ever path you decide to take, your first appointment will take approximately 60 minutes.  This gives you plenty of time to communicate your concerns to our health care providers.  Whichever path you take, rest assured that the health care professionals at Advanced Wellness Solutions will work together to resolve carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.  If we can’t help, we’ll get you where you need to go for your best treatment options.

Revised July 2, 2021