Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The carpal tunnel syndrome is a relatively common cause of hand weakness, numbness, and/or pain. The problem results from encroachment on a nerve as it goes through a tunnel in the wrist. This tunnel consists of several small bones in the wrist that form a groove covered by a fibrous, ligamentous structure known as the flexor retinaculum. A nerve and other structures pass through this groove. The nerve is vulnerable to encroachment in many ways. When the nerve is thus irritated, the hand may become symptomatic with weakness, numbness, or pain. The condition can also cause symptoms in the upper arm, elbow, shoulder, or neck. The answer to the problem, of course, is to find the reason for the nerve encroachment and correct it.

Encroachment on the median nerve may develop from injury to the wrist, such as when the wrist is forcefully bent backward, e.g., falling with the hands outstretched to stop the fall or hitting a swinging door with the wrist bent backward. Sometimes the problem comes about through normal working conditions, such as the wrist injury a carpenter sustains from heavy hammering, or a mechanic gets by pulling forcefully on a wrench, or a housewife gets when scrubbing a floor and leaning on one hand with the wrist bent backward.

Etiology

Methods used in applied kinesiology to examine and treat the carpal tunnel syndrome can often eliminate the need for surgery. Early diagnosis and treatment increases the probability that the condition will be treated effectively.

Your doctor will test the muscles of your hand to determine nerve involvement, and then do other tests while continuing to test the muscle to determine the effect of his test on muscle strength. In most cases, the week hand muscles return to normal strength within minutes, indicating a reduction of nerve encroachment in the carpal tunnel.

For a short time - usually two weeks - it may be necessary to support your wrist with an elastic or leather wrapping to prevent re-injury while the ligamentous structure repairs. During this period it is very important not to bend your wrist backward, as the condition may recur and need further treatment.

Nutritional supplements, such as raw bone concentrate, manganese, and other substances, may be used to help hold the structural correction your doctor obtains at the carpal tunnel. Another type of nutritional support often needed in treating the carpal tunnel syndrome is vitamin B6. Your doctor will help you properly regulate the amount of vitamin B6 that will be beneficial to you. Too much of the vitamin can be toxic, Ironically, the symptoms of the toxicity are very similar to those of B6 deficiency.

Prevention

Prevent future occurrences of these conditions by avoiding strains to your wrists, especially those that bend your wrists backward in a forceful manner. If your work requires bending your wrists backward, you should develop new habit patterns to avoid this harmful position.