Experience Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief Today!
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that most people have heard about. It currently affects millions of citizens across the nation. Many health insurance companies and workers' compensation are bogged down
with the ever-increasing caseload of carpal tunnel patients.
Many of these patients end up having corrective surgery performed to remedy the problem. However, you don't have to go that invasive. In fact, the best chiropractor near you can utilize various tactics like a massage to alleviate pain associated with this condition. Let's start off by first defining this condition alongside its causes and symptoms.
What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
You may know that this condition affects the hands but that's not overly specific. Rather, carpal tunnel syndrome is when inflammation or entrapment of the nerves inside of the wrist happens. These nerves are called median nerves and their entrapment can cause numbness, tingling, and pain. The pain can be present in the following areas:
- Wrist
- Forearm
- Thumb
- Hand
When you are experiencing the symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, you may have problems with carrying objects or grasping them. In some cases, the pain tends to get worse in the night hours and can even interrupt a patient's natural sleep pattern. Understanding the symptoms can help you to diagnose this condition.
What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Our chiropractor near LAX can work with you to discover the individual cause of your carpal tunnel syndrome. It's most commonly associated with long-term repetitive strain or motions of the hands. Jobs involving assembly lines or working at a computer created the highest risk. Sometimes, genetics can play a role in whether or not you inherit this condition.
Similarities With Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Since carpal tunnel syndrome comes along with a lot of the same symptoms as thoracic outlet syndrome, it's commonly misdiagnosed. Thoracic outlet syndrome is also caused by nerve entrapment. It can showcase pain, tingling, and numbness in the forearms, wrists, thumbs, and hands. However, the nerve entrapment that causes thoracic outlet syndrome occurs higher up in the neck, not in the wrist.
Common Treatments Prescribed By Physicians
When it comes to finding a way to alleviate the pressure on the median nerve in your wrist, your physician may prescribe different treatments. These treatments can range from non-invasive to invasive depending on how well your condition responds to the treatment. Let's evaluate the commonly prescribed treatments below.
Wrist Splints
Wrist splints are applied to the wrist area and help to alleviate the pressure that is placed on the tendons due to inflammation. These range anywhere from $20 to over $100 depending on the brand you purchase. It's important to note that wrist splints don't help to lengthen or soften the muscles and tendons that are the source of the problem. Therefore, this can help to control pain but won't treat the root cause of the problem.
Carpal Tunnel Surgery
Surgery to fix your carpal tunnel syndrome may be a recommendation. However, it's important to note that there is not an extremely high success rate for this type of surgery. During this surgery, your surgeon will cut away the flexor retinaculum and the connective tissue around it. These are the areas that keep the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. This can cost from $5,000 and up depending on the surgeon and will usually take about an hour.
Treating Pain With Massage Therapy
Therapeutic massages near LAX are a great way to help alleviate the pain caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. As with any sort of health condition, it makes sense to start off treating it with non-invasive solutions.
Massage therapy near LAX fits this bill and is a cost-effective solution for any patient, regardless of budget.
You can expect to pay anywhere between $25 to $150, depending on the massage therapist and the time spent undergoing the massage. During massages near LAX, the therapist will address the inflammation, numbness, and pain by softening up the muscles and fascia. This includes areas of the neck, shoulder, elbow, forearm, upper arm, hand, and wrist.
Once the fascia and muscles are softened, therapeutic massages near LAX will lengthen them. These deep tissue massages near LAX work great to remove trigger points, adhesions, and tension in the soft tissue of the arm. In some cases, your massage therapist may work on your subscapularis and pectoralis muscles to open up the rotation of the shoulder.
You can expect massage therapy near LAX to last about 60 to 90 minutes per session. The emphasis of the massage will be on the affected arms and wrists. However, this can be upgraded to include more areas of the body if they're found to be playing a role in the condition. Most patients will notice significant relief in their pain after the first session. It's recommended that you undergo between four and six massage sessions if you've been dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome for a lengthy period.
Tips For Preventing Future Pain
As you learned above, one of the most common causes of carpal tunnel syndrome is repetitive strain injuries. If this has been diagnosed as the cause of your condition, there are some things that you can do to limit your pain in the future. You should include all of these practices alongside regular massage therapy:
- Avoid Slouching As It Strains Your Neck And Shoulders
- Stretch Your Pecs Throughout The Day
- Use Hands Evenly To Avoid Overcompensation
- Keep Forearms Level With The Keyboard
- Use Correct Posture When Sitting
- Perform Shoulder Shrugs Throughout The Day
- Avoid Holding Your Wrists In The Same Position For More Than 30 Minutes
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that many others experience. If you're having problems with your wrists, then you should try out massage therapy alongside the tips above. This should assist in eliminating your pain.