Are the muscles in your wrists and hands numb, painful or weak? It's possible that you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a painful and progressive disease. The reason for this is that a nerve that runs from your forearm to your hand, known as the median nerve, is being pinched at the wrist.
There is a narrow passageway of ligament and bones found at the base of the hand called the carpal tunnel. Increased pressure in this tunnel is the cause of the compression of the median nerve. Pressure can rise in the canal because of swelling due to injury or trauma to the wrist, fluid retention, work stress, repeated use of vibrating tools or growth of cysts or tumors.
Compared to men, women are more predisposed to get carpal tunnel syndrome for the reason they have smaller carpal tunnels. Assembly line workers that are in the manufacturing, finishing, sewing, cleaning and meat packing industry are the more likely candidates for developing the condition. Pain in the hand and fingers, tingling sensations of the fingers and numbness in the fingers are known symptoms of the syndrome.
Depending on the patient's preference and the severity of the syndrome, treatment can either be surgical or non-surgical. Medication, exercise and alternative therapies are the non-surgical treatments available. Open carpal tunnel release or endoscopic carpal tunnel release can be chosen for the surgical treatment.
Aspirin and ibuprofen, both nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can ease the swelling and pain brought about by carpal tunnel syndrome. Oral diuretics can be taken to remove the excess water in the body that might be the cause of the swelling. Corticosteroids like prednisone, when taken orally or injected, are proven to relieve pressure on the median nerve.
When a patient's symptom has started to subside, strengthening and stretching exercises are a must. But consultation with a physical therapist or an occupational therapist is vital before engaging in nay exercise involving the wrist or any other affected part. Planning and supervision by these health care professionals is needed since they are trained to help people with physical impairments.
Gaining sudden popularity over the years even with unproved effectiveness are alternative therapies. Chiropractic care and acupuncture have been reported to helped patients. But one alternative therapy that has proven to reduce pain and improve grip strength is yoga.
On of the most common surgical procedures in the United States is carpal tunnel release. Only if you have been experiencing symptoms for six months will you be allowed to undergo the procedure. Local anesthesia is used in splitting a cluster of tissue around the wrist to remove the compression on the median nerve.
Open release surgery and endoscopic release surgery are the two types of open tunnel release. The traditional way of doing the procedure is open release surgery, with incisions up to 2 inches in length. On the other hand, endoscopic release surgery only needs short incisions in order to insert a small camera for visualization.
There is nothing to fear about carpal tunnel syndrome. There are plenty of treatments to choose from that makes it easy to cure. Go ahead and pick the treatment that you think well suits you.
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