Median Nerve Entrapment & Carpal Tunnel

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be serious and it can cause permanent nerve damage.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is pain, numbness and/or tingling and other problems in your hand as a result of excessive pressure on the median nerve in your neck, armpit, forearm or wrist.

What causes carpal tunnel?

Pressure on the median nerve (the nerve in your wrist) causes carpal tunnel syndrome. Causes of carpal tunnel syndrome include:

  • Illnesses (hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes)
  • Obesity
  • Pregnancy
  • Repetitive hand movements
  • Repetitive wrist movements
  • Smoking
  • Trauma
  • Wrist injuries and bone spurs

What are symptoms of carpal tunnel?

The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are tingling, numbness, weakness or pain in your fingers or hand. You may experience pain in your arm between your hand and elbow.

Carpal tunnel symptoms most often occur in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and half of the ring finger. You may notice symptoms starting at nighttime, with direct pressure on one specific area or with one specific movement.

How is carpal tunnel treated?

If left untreated, carpal tunnel syndrome can cause lasting damage to your nerve. Immediately stop all activities that cause numbness and pain and rest your wrist longer between activities. Ice and stretch your neck, chest (pectoral muscles), forearm and wrist. Also, take an anti-inflammatory and wear a wrist splint at night to keep your wrist in a neutral position.

If symptoms don’t get better after one week of home care, or if you had extreme symptoms from the start, contact the caring professionals at Spine and Sports Chiropractic in Lincoln for carpal tunnel pain relief and treatment.

Did you know?

You can keep carpal tunnel syndrome from coming back by staying at a healthy weight, not smoking and exercising. You can also take good care of your wrists and hands by keeping your wrists in a neutral position, using your entire hand to hold objects and switch hands often when you’re repeating movements.

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be serious and it can cause permanent nerve damage. The experts at Spine and Sports Chiropractic are able to provide the pain relief and treatment you need for long-term health and wellness.