Does Chiropractic Care Help with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Anti-inflammatory medication, braces, or surgery aren't the only treatment options if you're struggling with pain, numbness, tingling and other carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. Chiropractic care offers a natural, non-invasive way to treat the source of your pain and relieve your carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.
What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Small bones in your wrist create a passageway called the carpal tunnel. This tunnel protects the median nerve that travels from your neck to your hand via your arm. The median nerve is necessary for movement and sensation in the wrist, forearm, hands, thumb, and the middle, index, and ring fingers.
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when tissues surrounding the tunnel swell, causing the tunnel to become smaller. As the tunnel narrows, tissues press on the median nerve, irritating it.
Pressure on the median nerve can cause these carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms:
- Pain. Carpal tunnel syndrome pain can extend the length of your arm, although it's most often felt in the wrist, hand and fingers. Some people also experience jolts of pain that feel like electric shocks. Pain may be so severe that it interferes with sleep.
- Tingling and Numbness. Pressure on the median nerve can cause tingling and numbness in your arm, wrist, hand, and fingers.
- Weakness. Your hand may become weaker, making holding or grasping objects difficult.
Women and older people are more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Other risk factors include a family history of carpal tunnel syndrome, pregnancy, and illnesses and diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
Your risk for carpal tunnel syndrome may be higher if you perform repetitive motions with your hands or frequently hold your hands or wrists in awkward positions. Some types of jobs increase the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome including those that involve hairstyling, typing, cooking, sewing, and working with tools.
How Do Chiropractors Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Chiropractors use these therapies and techniques to treat carpal tunnel syndrome:
- Spinal Manipulation (Adjustments). A misalignment, or subluxation, of the vertebrae in your neck could be a contributing factor in your carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. Subluxations can press on nerves, triggering pain, numbness, and tingling. Spinal manipulation treatments adjust and realign the vertebrae using quick, hands-on thrusts. The treatments decrease pain and reduce inflammation.
- Joint Manipulation. Misaligned joints in the elbow or wrist may also press on the median nerve and cause or worsen carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. Your chiropractor gently realigns joints, which may improve movement in the wrist.
- Soft Tissue Therapies. Your chiropractic treatment may include manual mobilization techniques that treat the soft tissues of your wrist, hand or arm. Soft tissue therapies loosen tight tissues, decrease inflammation, and enhance circulation.
- Other Therapies. Ice, heat, and ultrasound therapy may also be part of your treatment plan. Ice and heat are helpful in decreasing pain and improving comfort. Ultrasound waves penetrate deep tissues to calm inflamed tissues, improve circulation, and speed healing.
During your treatment, your chiropractor may recommend exercises that stretch and loosen tissues, improve flexibility, and strengthen your arm, hand, and wrist.
How Effective Is Chiropractic Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Wondering what the research says about chiropractic treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome? Researchers noted that manual therapy improved nerve conduction, improved function, and significantly improved pain and symptom severity in a research study published in Clinical Rehabilitation in 2019.
Another group of researchers studied the effects of manual mobilization on cadaver wrists in an anatomical study that appeared in Clinical Biomechanics in 2018. They reported that manual mobilization of the carpal tunnel bones increased the size of the carpal tunnel and decreased flattening, which could reduce pressure on the median nerve.
Looking for a solution for your carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms? Chiropractic care offers a holistic approach to carpal tunnel syndrome pain, numbness, and weakness. Contact our office to make an appointment with the chiropractor.
Sources:
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, 3/2022
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/carpal-tunnel-syndrome/
Clinical Rehabilitation: Is Manual Therapy Based on Neurodynamic Techniques Effective in the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? A Randomized Controlled Trial, 3/2019
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30306805/
PubMed: Clinical Biomechanics: Dimensional Changes of the Carpal Tunnel and Median Nerve During Manual Mobilization of the Carpal Bones – Anatomical Study, 9/3/2018
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30195102/
MedlinePlus: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, 1/10/2024