Chiropractic Care and CTS

If years of typing, painting, assembly line work, sewing or some other hand-intensive activity has left you with pain, weakness, numbness or tingling sensations along the inward-facing part of the hand, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS. This form of nerve impingement does more than just cause discomfort -- it can actually disable you. Fortunately, at Lifetime Health & Wellness we know how to perform gentle adjustments that can help restore your hand to full functionality.

The "tunnel" in question runs from your forearm through the bones in your wrist and into your hand. It houses a nerve called the median nerve, which supplies sensation and movement commands to your palm, thumb, first two fingers and part of your third finger. (Your pinkie gets its data from a different nerve.) You can thank your median nerve for making possible whatever fine handiwork you must perform on a daily basis. Unfortunately, local inflammation from surrounding tissues can press upon the nerve and shut the flow of information off.

Why do people develop CTS? Frequently the problems stems from a kind of chronic overuse called repetitive motion disorder. Performing the same tasks hundreds of times a day for years can inflame ligaments. In some cases, the problem may even originate in your neck. A cervical misalignment can affect the nerve roots that communicate with the median nerve, causing the same kind of telltale numbness or weakness in the hand. Eventually you may experience muscle atrophy. Simple tasks become increasingly difficult, then impossible.

A Helping Hand from Your Westminster Chiropractor

While surgery can often treat CTS successfully, we recommend that you contact our Westminster chiropractic care center to see if we can resolve the condition non-invasively. We can correct an issue in your wrist or neck, which could be the cause of your pain. Acupuncture can help restore proper nerve signaling, while massage can relax inflamed tissues and help them heal more quickly. If you have CTS, let us give you a helping hand!

Does your job contribute to your CTS? What do you do?