If you are experiencing tingling or numbness in your hands and fingers, you may be one of many suffering with carpal tunnel syndrome. Affecting about 5% of the general population, carpal tunnel syndrome is described as pain, tingling, and numbness on the palm side of the wrist due to entrapment of the median nerve. Anatomically, the carpal tunnel is literally a tunnel in the wrist made up of bones and ligaments that house the median nerve, which supplies feeling and motion to certain parts of the hand. An entrapment of the median nerve is what leads to the tingling and numbness in the hands and fingers. This condition is often misunderstood as the name implies a “syndrome” in the carpal tunnel. Although the pain, tingling, and numbness can definitely be caused from a wrist issue, it’s important to understand the entire anatomy of the median nerve to get a clear picture.
The median nerve is one of the 5 main nerves originating from the brachial plexus exiting from the cervical spine. If one of the spinal bones in the neck is misaligned, it can put pressure on the brachial plexus nerves, thereby entrapping the median nerve as it exits the cervical spine.
What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
The most popular reasoning as to why carpal tunnel syndrome occurs is simply overuse of the wrist from activities such as typing, being on our smartphones, or other things that involve our wrist. This can certainly be the case because overuse of the wrist can cause inflammation in the carpal tunnel and entrap the median nerve. Another reason can be a misalignment in one of the wrist bones which will narrow the space in the carpal tunnel, entrapping the median nerve. If we take it a step further, think about what happens when we are working desk jobs or texting on our smartphones. We are constantly looking down and end up developing Anterior Head Syndrome (www.gokeystonechiro.com/text-neck). When this happens, we are putting a lot of stress in the neck which is where the median nerve originates, which can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
How does chiropractic help with carpal tunnel syndrome?
The most important thing is to start at the top and work down the chain to see where the issue is originating from. A popular option for carpal tunnel treatment is surgery in the wrist. Many times, the surgery fails because the treatment was done at the end of the chain. If the problem was originating in the neck, why would treating the wrist be any good? If a power outage occurred due to a failure at the power plant, what good would flipping your circuit breaker do? Absolutely nothing! So the first step would be to check the cervical spine to make sure that the spinal bones in the neck are properly aligned and not putting pressure on the nerves. The second step would be to structurally correct the anterior head syndrome if it exists. If that doesn’t correct the issue, we will then work our way down the chain and correct any misalignments in the wrist bones that may be narrowing the space in the carpal tunnel. However, because the chain starts up at the neck, correcting the neck more often than not resolves the carpal tunnel syndrome.
Before Dr. Joshua became a chiropractor, he worked as a dental hygienist in Hawaii. Like many others in the dental profession, he experienced carpal tunnel syndrome and was recommended to get surgical consultation. From his many colleagues who have received multiple carpal tunnel surgeries with no resolution, Dr. Joshua knew that surgery would be his last option. He ended up going to one of the best reviewed chiropractors in the area, initially for neck pain and stiffness. Throughout the course of his care, not only did his neck pain and stiffness go away, but his headaches, sleep, and carpal tunnel syndrome improved as well! In fact, he hasn’t experienced carpal tunnel syndrome ever since! Upon learning the science of chiropractic and experiencing the positive effects of neuro-structural chiropractic first hand, Dr. Joshua felt a calling to provide the same hope and healing to others by becoming a neuro-structural chiropractor himself.
Drs. Joshua and Daniel at Keystone Chiropractic have helped many individuals suffering with carpal tunnel syndrome in the Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, and surrounding North Dallas communities. They focus specifically on neuro-structural chiropractic and use advanced technology to pinpoint the exact areas that need to be corrected. The doctors are also advanced certified in chiropractic care of the extremities, and are experts in adjusting the wrists, shoulders, knees, ankles, and even the jaw. Allow Keystone Chiropractic to assist you in gaining victory over your carpal tunnel syndrome. Live Better Now!
