Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
is defined as occurring when tendons or ligaments in the wrist become enlarged and usually inflamed after being aggravated. The narrowed tunnel of bones and ligaments in the wrist pinch the nerves that go to the fingers and muscles. The aggravations may come from cumulative trauma of the wrist, diseases, or conditions such as pregnancy, diabetes, thyroid gland imbalance or obesity. However, many cases are diagnosed that have no known cause. Carpal Tunnel is responsible for more than 40% of all work related disabilities.
Symptoms may appear as burning, tingling, numbness or decreased feeling in the fingers, especially the thumb, index and middle fingers. There may be difficulty gripping or making a fist and a tendency to drop
things. There may be an inability to distinguish hot from cold with the hand.
The carpal tunnel is the opening into the hand that is comprised of the bones of the wrist on the bottom and the transverse carpal ligament on the top. The median nerve and the flexor tendons run through this
opening into the hand.
The median nerve supplies sensation to the thumb, index, and middle fingers and half of the ring finger. This nerve also supplies a branch to the thenar muscles in the thumb, which are very important to the
movement of that digit.
The flexor tendons allow the hand and fingers to move so they may grip things. The tendons are covered by the tenosynovium, which is very slippery. It allows the tendons to glide against each other as the
hand grips. Any irritation or inflammation of the tenosynovium can cause it to swell and thicken causing pressure in the carpal tunnel against the median nerve. This pressure on the nerve may prevent it
from functioning properly.
The standard medical treatment of carpal tunnel is to immobilize the wrist with splints and prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs or injections to reduce swelling. Approximately 26,000 people a year also undergo
surgery and have the ligament cut at the bottom of the wrist. For some people even multiple surgeries do not reduce the pain or restore function to the hand. Approximately one percent develop permanent
injury.
Windsong Therapy and Wellness uses myofascial and other non-invasive manual therapy to gently restore alignment to the body and relieve the restrictions that may be causing the symptoms.
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