Integrative Health Blog

Wrist braces, physical therapy, rest, ergonomic work stations. 

You may have tried them all with little to no success for relief from carpal tunnel syndrome. The reason why it is not working is because most people, and even health practitioners, don’t understand where carpal tunnel comes from.  All people know is that their wrist hurts or their hands are going numb and they want it fixed because it greatly affects their lives.

Why is it called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

I’m going to let you in on a secret.  In a majority of cases It comes  from your shoulders and neck!  Carpal tunnel syndrome is called such because your nerves travel through a tunnel created by the carpal bones in your wrist.  When the nerves swell or get pinched upon pain and numbing occur.  The typical western medicine way to treat the condition is to perform carpal tunnel surgery by cutting a ligament to open up the carpal tunnel space.  In some cases this helps, but in a majority is doesn’t.  This is because nerves that come out your neck and through certain muscular spaces can also be pressed upon causing the same symptoms in your wrist.  It is often associated with the brachial plexus of nerves. This gets missed because everyone keeps looking at the wrist.  When you look at a person with wrist symptoms they typically have rounded shoulders and slumping posture in the upper back which impacts these areas.

When I was practicing in San Diego with my wife, a physical therapist, several M.D.s’ referred severe carpal tunnel cases  to our clinic because we got results with patients that previously never responded to any carpal tunnel treatment.  I have started with the same success here at NIHA.  Any success that happens always starts with the patient and the correct diagnosis from your health practitioner.

Non-Surgical Help For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

There are some qualities with these patients that allowed them to succeed to avoid surgery and medications.  They realized that their body works as a one unit, not separate parts like a car.  So they realized it is more than just the wrist.  They were committed to getting better and they didn’t expect a quick fix.  They were willing to work on it and change their lifestyle.  Lastly, they became more aware of how to use their body in a healthy way and when to give their body a break. They employ stretches, rest breaks, ergonomically changing their work station and lowering their stress before their body starts crying out for help.  Obviously it’s important to have a health practitioner to team up with to get the correct care.

If you have numb hands, weak forearm and hand muscles, pain in your arm, difficulty using your computer’s mouse or you can’t open a jar, then I can help you.  If you have already had therapies before, I can still help you.  It all has to do with the approach to your care.  Soft tissue therapies, joint manipulation and home stretching and exercise therapies are all you need applied to the right areas of your body.  Then  you can have success like many of my patients have.  If you feel like you are a candidate for care, then you probably are.  Schedule an appointment today.

If you haven’t got the answers you need about your wrist and hand symptoms from this article feel free to contact me at NIHA or email at Dr.Coy@nihadc.com.

CALL 202-237-7000, ext. 0 to get relief from pain today.

Coy Roskosky, D.C., is a Doctor of Chiropractic in the Washington D.C. area specializing in chronic pain, sports injuries and sports performance, carpal tunnel syndrome and TMJ. He uses many techniques including Applied Kinesiology (AK), Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT), Active Release Technigue (ART), and Activator in his chiropractic practice at National Integrated Health Associates, NIHA.