Staff Writer
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the injury with the longest average days away from work – 27 days – is carpal tunnel syndrome.
Doctors of Chiropractic (D.C.s) are primary healthcare professionals focused on diagnosing, caring for, and preventing disorders of the spine and other parts of the musculoskeletal system and the associated effects on the neurological system. Chiropractic services are used most often to care for neuromusculoskeletal complaints. Musculoskeletal pain – usually related to the joints and the back – is the most common type of chronic pain.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is when the median nerve – one of the major nerves to the hand – is compressed as it travels through the carpal tunnel into the hand.
Just as it sounds, the carpal tunnel is a tunnel in your wrist that structures pass through. The bottom of the tunnel comprises the little bones in your hand called the carpal bones. The top portion of the tunnel is a strong band of tissue called the transverse ligament. Many tendons pass through here – allowing movement of your fingers and thumb – as well as the median nerve.
Now that you have a picture of wrist anatomy, imagine the effects of ongoing, repetitive up and down motions in the wrist. These repeated motions may cause the protective layers surrounding the tendons to become swollen or inflamed. The swelling of these tendon sheaths takes up space in the carpal tunnel and begins to add pressure to the median nerve.
The symptoms of carpal tunnel typically occur gradually and tend to come and go. As carpal tunnel syndrome progresses, the symptoms may become more frequent and more intense.
Jobs that require many daily repetitive tasks or stressful wrist postures tend to be the most at risk for acquiring CTS. Proper awareness of symptoms and prevention can help reduce the risk of developing more severe symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Here’s what we know about CTS risk:
Although surgery is a treatment option for carpal tunnel syndrome, chiropractic care may be a non-invasive and natural treatment option to help alleviate pain and symptoms related to CTS. (According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, only 23% of workers reporting carpal tunnel surgery could return to their previous profession.)
Should the initial comprehensive physical assessment indicate that chiropractic can help, your Doctor of Chiropractic may start relieving the symptoms by adjusting the wrist and elbow and performing trigger point therapy or other soft tissue therapy to the muscles around the wrist and forearm.
The next step may be to focus on adjusting areas of the neck (because all of the nerves to your extremities come out of the spine!) and back. Your chiropractor may send you home with exercises to perform at home and ergonomic suggestions (desk/chair positions, posture changes, etc.) to help you avoid injury in the future.
Always remember that the core purpose of chiropractic practice and procedure is to relieve interference caused by disturbed joint biomechanics through skilled manual assessment and correction. All states require a chiropractor to have earned a Doctor of Chiropractic degree, pass all parts of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners exam, and be licensed in their state.
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a private, nonprofit chiropractic and health sciences university in Overland Park, Kansas. Since our founding in 1922, our mission has been to educate and develop leaders in health promotion and embracing behaviors that empower people to control and improve their health.
The CUKC on-campus Chiropractic Health Center is open to the public and treats patients from Kansas City’s 15-county metro area. Our goal is to provide appropriate care and solutions for a better, more productive life for our patients.
