Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Calgary
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has many contributing factors. Overuse of the hands and wrists with repetitive motion is the major cause. Examples of this are seen in office workers using a keyboard or mouse, a dental hygienist scaling teeth or factory workers assembling or moving products. You are predisposed to this condition with hand or wrist injuries, underlying medical conditions such as arthritis and diabetes and poor posture.
What Is It?
Clinically, carpal tunnel syndrome is compression on the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel. The tunnel is a passage from the forearm to the hands, where the median nerve and blood vessels travel between the carpal bones of the wrist and the sheath of fascia. Compression of the nerve within this tunnel can cause altered sensations, numbness, and pain.
Performing an Evaluation
If you think you have CTS, your doctor will need to perform a thorough assessment to determine the reason for your symptoms. The doctor will perform a series of orthopedic tests with names like Foraminal compression, Tinels, Phalen’s to see if there is evidence of nerve irritation in the neck, elbow or wrist.If these tests reproduce your pain that gives the doctor an indication of what is causing the nerve irritation. The doctor will check for loss of strength, or muscle size in the hand. Also specialized filaments are used to determine if there is a loss of sensation.
Noninvasive Approaches
If we determine you have CTS, we offer the following:
Neurodynamic flossing
Also called nerve flossing. Altering the head position and moving the upper extremity you tug the nerve back and forth from one end to the other to improve the gliding of the entrapped nerve.
Ergonomic interventions
If you work at a desk, it’s important to ensure your ergonomics don’t put your wrists into too much extension. Ideally, you’ll have a bit more flexion to slacken the fascial sheath, which is the top of the carpal tunnel.
It’s also important to make sure your desk height is at 90 degrees, and not too much above or below that. The reason is that when your wrists are laying on the desk all day, you can experience some compression.
Wrist adjustments
We can adjust the wrists to ensure that the carpals (bones of the hand) aren’t locked into a position that’s aggravating your CTS.
How Natural Care Helped a Patient
Dr. Ford recently had a patient who presented to the clinic thinking they had a carpal tunnel issue based on the symptoms he was experiencing. However, with Dr Ford’s assessment, he determined that it was a cervical nerve root problem. With a course of decompression therapy and specific adjustments in the cervical and upper thoracic spine over the course of about two months, the patient no longer had the issue that had plagued them for 3 years.
Schedule an Appointment
If you think you have CTS, contact us today to book an appointment.
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