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 SYMPTOMS: Wrist and hand pain wakes you up at night. Your hand sometimes feels like it falls asleep like pins and needles. Shaking your hand several times makes the pain and numbness feel better. Pain increases when using the hand and wrist for a period of time. Placing your hands together as if praying and applying pressure at the heels of the hands causes symptoms to worsen.
CAUSES: Most commonly, carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by repetitive motion involving the wrist and fingers in occupations such as computer keyboarding or working the production line on an assembly line. In other words, the condition does not occur overnight, but takes many months or even years of repetitive  activity in order to cause symptoms. However, in some instances, a trauma to the wrist is severe enough, carpal tunnel syndrome can begin immediately.
Mis-alignment of the vertebrae in the neck can cause the nerves in between the neck bones to become stretched, pinched or compressed. Over a period of time, the nerves distal to the neck that supply the wrist and hand become more susceptible to injury, a phenomena known as "double crush." Trauma to the wrist can also cause the problem. In some cases, carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by a B-vitamin deficiency. Finally, in some instances, the muscle in the forearm becomes shorter and tighter, compressing the nerve before it passes through the carpal tunnel, causing wrist and finger pain.
TREATMENT: The best way to treat carpal tunnel is to see your doctor of chiropractic before symptoms appear in the wrist and hand. Having your spine aligned by a chiropractor, especially the neck, removes the pressure on the delicate nerve roots that eventually travel through the carpal tunnel into the fingers. The doctor may also adjust the shoulder, elbow, neck and wrist bones to make sure all proximal and distal joints are moving properly.
Your doctor of chiropractic has a high level of expertise in ascertaining the cause of your wrist and hand pain. Finding the cause of the problem instead of simply treating the symptoms is why chiropractic care for carpal tunnel is so effective and one of the most often preferred methods of treatment. Your chiropractor will customize a treatment plan that may involve massage, stretching, ice, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, diathermy, and/or manipulation of the bones that make up the wrist or any combination of the above. At home, activities that worsen the condition should be avoided. At home, your chiropractor will prescribe a B-6 vitamin supplement or B-complex vitamin supplement to allow for the nerves to heal faster. A brace may also be prescribed and should be worn most or all of the time depending on the severity of your condition. If necessary, a referral will be made to a hand specialist for further evaluation.
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