What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
The median nerve activates muscles in your arm and hand and carries sensory information from your palm and fingers. The nerve runs down your arm and into your hand, passing through the wrist in a small area called the carpal tunnel.
The median nerve shares the carpal tunnel with nine tendons. When one or more of the tendons become inflamed, they pinch the median nerve. That’s when you have carpal tunnel syndrome.
What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
The top causes of carpal tunnel syndrome include:
Repetitive movement
Frequently repeating the same hand and finger movements, such as typing and texting, causes nerve irritation and tendon inflammation.
Tight arm muscles
The tendons that go through the carpal tunnel connect to muscles in your forearm. Tightness in the muscles can lead to inflamed tendons in the tunnel.
Wrist flexion and extension
Bending your wrist up or down while performing manual activities puts excessive pressure on the nerve and tendons in the carpal tunnel.
Health conditions
People who have diabetes, a thyroid condition, or an inflammatory disease like rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome.
What symptoms develop if I have carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome usually develops slowly. As a result, your first symptoms are usually mild and may come and go. Though it’s easy to ignore these initial symptoms, it’s important to get early treatment to prevent permanent nerve and muscle damage.
As your symptoms get progressively worse, you experience problems such as:
- Wrist and hand pain
- Hand, thumb, or finger weakness
- Electric-shock sensation in your wrist and hand
- Tingling or burning in your thumb or first three fingers
- Numbness in your hand or fingers
- Feeling like your fingers are swollen when they’re not
If you develop hand weakness or numbness, you may have a hard time holding items.
How does acupuncture improve carpal tunnel syndrome?
Dr. Travall inserts acupuncture needles into carefully chosen motor and acupuncture points. The needles then stimulate several activities that effectively treat carpal tunnel syndrome. They activate nerves and trigger the release of neurotransmitters and endorphins, which reduce inflammation and ease pain.
Acupuncture also relaxes muscles, taking the pressure off the inflamed tendons. Dr. Travall may enhance the overall effect by sending microcurrent through the needles. The gentle electrical stimulation further improves healing and eases pain.
Don’t wait to get treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome. Call Dr. Travall’s Acupuncture or book an appointment online today.
