Those of us who spend a lot of time at a computer, specifically typing, know that it can cause pain in the wrist and hand area. This pain is often broadly described as carpal tunnel syndrome. However, carpal tunnel syndrome is much more than just pain in the wrist as a result of repetitive motion and can be caused by a number of genetic and environmental factors.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is pain in the wrist that is medically described as “a median entrapment neuropathy caused by pressure on the median nerve in the wrist”. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, tingling, and numbness in the wrist. Some of the genetic factors that can cause carpal tunnel syndrome include diabetes, obesity, hypothyroidism, and arthritis. In addition, there are a number of environmental factors that can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, such as repetitive motion of the hand or wrist, heavy manual labor, wrist injuries, and smoking.
Physiotherapy treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome can include splinting, nerve glide therapy, carpal bone mobilization, magnetic therapy, and yoga. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be debilitating and needs to be addressed immediately to prevent chronic problems. At the early stages of carpal tunnel syndrome, you may only experience pain during times of heavy usage of the hand or at night and you may be able to get relief simply by shaking your hand. However, as the condition worsens over time, it will become more and more difficult to find relief from the pain in your hand and wrist.
In order to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome from developing, a number of preventative steps can be taken. Broad preventative measures include staying at a healthy weight, avoid smoking cigarettes, and staying active with normal exercise to keep the body strong and flexible. More specific preventative measures include taking good care of your hands and wrists while working by using your whole hand to hold object instead of just your fingers, keeping your wrists straight while typing, and occasionally switching hands if possible when performing a repetitive task.
If you or someone you know has been suffering from wrist pain that you believe may be carpal tunnel syndrome, give Advanced Chiropractic & Rehab a call today at (330) 726-7404 to schedule a free consultation to see how we can help. We have been servicing the Youngstown and Mahoning Valley area since 2001 with convenient locations in Boardman, Hubbard, and Kinsman. At Advanced Chiropractic & Rehab, we are a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation group that treats work comp injuries, whiplash, sports injuries and specializes in much more than just low back pain.
Sources:
https://advchiro.com/carpal-tunnel-syndrome/
https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/carpal-tunnel/tc/carpal-tunnel-syndrome-topic-overview#2