Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)…

This syndrome affects millions of people each year.  Some of the common symptoms used to describe this syndrome are burning, itching and tingling on the palm of the hand, and people with carpal tunnel syndrome might also experience weakness in grip strength.  Sometimes people with this condition feel as if they need to shake out or “wake up” their wrists and hands.

Dr. Uhlmansiek, D.C. has helped several people over the last few years in practice who have complained of carpal tunnel syndrome.  While many of those patients did have carpal tunnel syndrome, and many of them got great results with chiropractic care…..many others complaining of CTS, didn’t really have carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – while a very real and problematic situation for those suffering from it – has become what Dr. Uhlmansiek, D.C. considerst to be a BUZZ word diagnosis.  There are a lot of nerves, joints, bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments in the wrist and hand.  All of these can cause pain if there is something wrong.

CTS is a very specific disorder in that it is caused by pressure on the median nerve just above the wrist as it traverses the carpal tunnel.  The carpal tunnel is a small area in the wrist made up of two small rows of bones called the carpal bones.  These bones form a cup like structure that allow 9 tendons and the median nerve to pass through.  These 9 tendons and the median nerve are held in place inside the carpal tunnel via a piece of soft tissue called the Flexor Retinaculum.  The median nerve, the nerve that is believed to be responsible for the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, has a very specific distribution pattern.  That means that it can only produce specific symptoms in specific parts of the body.

In practice,  Dr. Uhlmansiek, D.C. has seen several patients who presented with a diagnosis of CTS – from an other provider or self diagnosed –  but the symptoms they have were not being produced by the median nerve.

Some of them had symptoms consistent with radial or ulnar nerve entrapment or even stenosing tenosynovitis.  This is very troubling to me because a lot of these patients have already had the carpal tunnel release surgery and they still had their symptoms.  It is sad that they had to go through this procedure….only to be left with a bill and ZERO results.

How does chiropractic help with wrist and hand pain?

It all comes down to good alignment!

There is a phenomenon that can take place in the body where you can irritate a nerve in the neck, and it will produce symptoms that mimic carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrist and hand.

Chiropractors are able to examine their patients and make this determination.

If this is the case, then the chiropractic adjustment can help restore normal joint alignment and hence reduce the irritation to the nerve that is causing the symptoms.

Furthermore, if the irritation to the median nerve is in fact coming from the carpal tunnel, then chiropractors are able to evaluate the alignment of the bones of the carpal tunnel to see if they are out of alignment and irritating the nerve.  If this is the case, chiropractic adjustments to the wrist can usually restore normal alignment and reduce irritation to the nerve that is causing the symptom.

If you are suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, wrist or hand pain and you would like to get relief…without using drugs or surgery, then give us a call today to find out if we can help you too!