What is the best way to treat CARPAL TUNNEL syndrome of the wrist?

Answer 1

Carpal Tunnel syndrome is caused by a narrowing of the space in the connective tissue in the wrist joint. This is caused by over use of the wrist, which creates a pressure on the nerves and tendons. This narrow gap is caused by a very minor gene abnormality or just plain over use and improper use of the hand. It is considered a form of Arthritis and handled by a Rheumatologist. The carpals are very small bones that form interlocking joints that make a wide range of motion possible.

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpal_tunnel
“In the human wrist there is a sheath of tough connective tissue which envelopes and protects one nerve (median nerve) and tendons, which attach muscles to the wrist and hand bones. The carpal tunnel is the space between this sheath (above) and the bones (below) making up the wrist and hand (carpal bones). The term 'carpal tunnel' is also used quite commonly to refer to 'carpal tunnel syndrome' which is a condition where the median nerve is pinched within the tunnel and causes pain and/or numbness of the wrist/hand, once thought to be a result of repetitive motion such as painting or typing.”

Check out Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpals
Look at the gray and color image to see just what 8 bones are involved. The wrist needs these flexible joints so it can run the nerves and tendons through the bone. If a ball-and-socket joint were used, like it is in the shoulder, then the tendons would get resistance and not the mechanical advantage required to give us our flexibility.

The best way to treat it is to use surgery to relieve the stress, or to make the channel in the bone larger. This is also the most drastic way to treat it and the most expensive. More often than not the risks of surgery are not worth it. Since any damage to the nerves is can result in chronic pain, loss of sensation, or even paralysis. Microsurgery inside the carpel bones is possible, but very difficult to do, and still a little experimental.

The next best way is to use a splint to keep the joint from bending, or to find a way to reduce the stress on the joint. It can be painful to wear that splint though (I know from experience), and take anti-inflammatory medications like Motrin or Aleve. Aspirin will not help; it works by breaking apart the blood platelets. In the case of a headache this can increase the blood flow to the region. It doesn’t handle inflammation very well though. Vitamin B6 could help with the inflammation or the pain, but it is not a cure, only a treatment.

Make sure you have the proper diagnoses. I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for a while until the pain spread to other joints and became more serious.

Prednisone is a powerful pain-relieving steroid that can be useful for the short term. It causes drastic and violent mood swings and bone necropsy over a longer period so I don’t recommend it (I was on it several times, Once I developed a spontaneous nose bleed another time I developed such and angry temper that my friends couldn’t believe me. It also caused me boughts of fear and sheer unreasonable terror reactions—very dangerous stuff.) You never know just what prednisone will do so I would use it very sparingly and only occasionally, however it is the cheapest and best pain relief I have ever used.

Carpal Tunnel is a life long condition; it will always crop up again and again. You need to relieve the stress on the wrist. Get a keyboard wrist support and thing about buying an ergonomic keyboard. Now days keyboards are universal so you can use one on your work computer without any problems (still I would contact the computer pro, at work, to make sure the proper drivers are installed on your computer, not on the network, and that they know you are doing this. Take frequent breaks from typing and try to avoid putting stress on the wrist joint.

Check out
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm
Medicine.net: http://www.medicinenet.com/carpal_tunnel_syndrome/article.htm
About.com: http://arthritis.about.com/od/carpal/
Familydoctor.org: http://familydoctor.org/023.xml
EMedicine Health: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/carpal_tunnel_syndrome/article_em.htm
American College of Rheumatology: http://www.rheumatology.org/press/2005/carpaltunnel0205.asp

Beware of the scams though. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Nothing will cure Carpal Tunnel Syndrome unless it increases the size of the channel inside the bone itself. Any topical treatment will be just as good as using something like Ben Gay (which contains the same pepper in mace, it causes an increased blood flow that can take fatigue poisons out of the area). These will be a temporary solution at best; they don’t treat the root cause or cure the behavior that caused the condition in the first place.

The only CURE for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is surgery. The only way to PREVENT it is to use a wrist support, or an ergonomic keyboard, or other such devices to relieve the stress. You can use a wrist splint to TRAIN your wrist not to move in the improper positions. There are many ways to RELIVE THE SYMPTOMS including drugs, acupuncture, and topical treatments, but they don’t cure the problem; they only provide a temporary solution.

Answer 2

I have had it horribly since month 7. Sometimes it ached all the way up my elbow. Docs gave me no hope except to have the baby, despite my desperation. It got better by about 40% when I spent an entire 24 hr period completely resting - feet up way high, only get up for the bathroom and eating briefly. This reduced the swelling, which was/is the main cause of the carpal tunnel. It is the ONLY thing that helped - ice made it worse! I am 37 wks now and pray for the end also. You will have it over soon, although they tell me it may take a week or two for the carpal to go away completely. Good luck!

Answer 3

Try a six-pack of prednisone (a steroid) from your doctor. That'll shoot it out! Of course, your doctor will tell you "not without having some blood work done first." Get the blood work up and find out how much inflamation is in your blood. (positive AMA or rheumatoid factor) Then after that, decide whether you want to be one of the hundreds of thousands of people who live with that daily pain in the wrist and talk all the time about carpal tunnel syndrome. Oh yeah, forget about holistic medicine and acupuncture too, because then you'll just be amongst the group of people who talk about natural healing and carpal tunnel. This tends to get boring!!! Take it from someone who knows, don't waste another day living with pain.

Answer 4

Treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome is based on the seriousness of the condition, whether there is any nerve damage, and whether other treatment has helped. Treatment options include treatment with surgery or without surgery (nonsurgical treatment).

If treated early, carpal tunnel symptoms usually go away with nonsurgical treatment.
If your symptoms are mild, with occasional tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain, 1 to 2 weeks of home treatment are likely to relieve your symptoms.
If home treatment does not help, or if your symptoms are more severe (including the loss of feeling in your fingers or hand, or the inability to perform simple hand movements such as holding objects or pinching), have your health professional examine you and recommend treatment.
Nonsurgical treatment
If your symptoms are not severe, expect your health professional to recommend nonsurgical treatment to see whether symptoms improve. Nonsurgical treatment includes:

Evaluating any other medical conditions that might contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome, and changing your treatment for those conditions if necessary.
Changing or avoiding activities that may be causing symptoms, and taking frequent breaks from repetitive tasks.
Wearing a wrist splint to keep your wrist straight, usually just at night. See an illustration of a wrist splint.
Using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Although studies have not shown NSAIDs to be effective for carpal tunnel syndrome, they may help you to relieve symptoms.
Doing exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles in the hand and arm.
Learning ways to protect your joints as you go through your daily activities.
Surgical treatment
Surgery is sometimes recommended when other treatment has not helped, if a carpal tunnel condition has continued for a long time, or if there is nerve damage or the risk of nerve damage. Surgery involves cutting the ligament that forms the roof of the carpal tunnel. This relieves the pressure on the median nerve, which eases or eliminates the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Answer 5

Recent scientific studies are showing that physician-supervised therapy with vitamin B6 can help relieve the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. In a 12-year study conducted in Louisville, Kentucky, Morton Kasdan, M.D., found that 68 percent of his 494 carpal tunnel syndrome patients improved while taking vitamin B6 daily.

John Ellis, M.D., a surgeon and family practitioner in Mount Pleasant, Texas, has been using vitamin B6 for many years to treat carpal tunnel syndrome at the Institute for Biomedical Research and in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Ellis believes that "carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by a deficiency, pure and simple. In a high percentage of cases, the patients are deficient in vitamin B6."

Dr. Ellis says that over the past 26 years, he's successfully treated hundreds of patients with large doses of B6 daily and "they've had no side effects," he says.

Vitamin B6 treatment doesn't bring about immediate relief, he warns. "You have to be patient." He says it often takes about 6 weeks until the enzyme changes are sufficient enough that the symptoms gradually begin to subside. "From 6 weeks to 12 weeks you will really notice a decided difference in your hands and fingers," he says. "The numbness, tingling, stiffness, and pain in your hand subsides."

Dr. Ellis also says that "a number of people have a recurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome when they stop taking the vitamin."

Vitamin therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome, however, should be used only under the supervision of a physician. Vitamin B6 can be toxic at high levels. The U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance is 2 milligrams.


Other helpful solutions:

Raise your arm above your head and rotate your arm, while rotating your wrist at the same time

To reduce pain and inflammation, take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication like aspirin or ibuprofen

Getting squeezing motions of the fingers will help relieve the tingling feeling. Press your fingers into your palm, then stretch them way back and hold. Repeat.

You might also want to get one of those special keyboards if you got yoru carpal tunnel from sitting at the computer. If you got it from handling tools you want big fat thick tools. If you cant find them then wrap duct tape around the handle untill it is nice and big.

Hope you feel better buddy!

Answer 6

It depends on how far along it is. There isn't really a way to treat carpal tunnel, more of a way to mask the symptoms. Acupuncture is said to work really well and they have braces that you can wear during activities and at night. If it is bad enough, the only solution is surgery. Best of luck

Answer 7

Consult with a doctor first to check the severity and see if there are options other than surgery. Acupuncture may help, it did for me when I had tendinitis.

Answer 8

You should first see your Doctor about it. I've used splints that I've bought at a pharmacy. I used to wear them at night. Then there's surgery. It all depends how bad it is. ~

Answer 9

Get a wrist band for it.

Answer 10

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