What should I do for the carpal tunnel in my wrist?

Question

I work on the computer a lot, and sometimes I wear a wrist brace (throughout the day). It helps a bit, but not a lot. What are some things you've found to relieve carpal tunnel symptoms?

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.

Since I suffer from chronic pain I do know a few things about handling pain.
1. Standard anti-inflammatories are the best medication to take. Motrin and Aleve will work, but not aspirin--it breaks apart blood cells.
2. If the pain continues then avoid narcotic pain medication and try Tramadol. It is a very good non-anti-inflammatory pain medication that has few side effects; I have been on it for over a decade.
3. Distraction is the best way to avoid pain. If you are doing something you like to do and are interested in then the pain seems to melt.
4. Take frequent breaks from the computer. When you take a break take a mini-vacation and use a relaxation technique. Close your eyes and think of some place comfortable like a nice warm beach. Imagine the sun shinnying down on you and the heat coming into your system. Imagine the heat burning the pain away. Listen to the sound of the surf and let it soothe and relax you. Look into the sky and see the high white clouds, watch them as they gently pass across the sky. You can even look for images and shapes in the cloud. You can relax your pain away.
5. Vary the position that you put your hands in. Just a few degrees different can make a little difference. When you move a little then the area in pain will change, giving some areas a break.
6. Improved blood flow can help. The creams muscle creams like Ben Gay work by applying a pepper to your skin. That pepper burns a little (the warmth) and it increases blood flow, which will help.
7. Alternating heat and cold from ice packs can help to make the pain go away. Again it works by improving circulation.
8. I have found that garlic helps me a little. Garlic is a traditional herb used for pain relief and as an antiseptic. You can find it in any drug store, Wal-Mart, and most major grocery stores. I don't hold much with herbal medications, because they are not medications, most of the information we know about their use is from old wives tales.
9. Try to stay health, and get a flu shot if you can. When you have a cold or the flu or are otherwise ill then it will magnify the pain you feel. If you reduce your chances of getting sick then it will help you in more ways than one. The single best method to drastically reduce your chances of getting sick is to wash you hands. That's how most diseases are transferred and one of the biggest culprits is money. Since money passes though so many hands it has an excellent chance of picking up germs. These germs don't wash off, because the money is almost never washed so they just carry those germs looking for someone to infect.

Answer 2

Massage Therapy can help to ease some of the symptoms, But in the long run you will eventually have to get surgery Because Carpal Tunnel is the pinching of a nerve between two of your carpal bones in the wrist, and Surgery has been found to be the only way to actually relieve symptoms permanently.

Answer 3

I've had carpal tunnel in both wrists, Altho I had the surgery I wouldn't recommend it, it only helps for a little while. I had it bad in my right hand but mild in my left, The surgery helped my left hand better than my right. I now have it back in my right. I would use the braces but not all the time, take vitamin b-12 everyday, it it bothers you during the day than stop what you are doing and exercise it and take 600mg of ibuprofen it is a anti-inflammatory and works good.

Answer 4

Exercise.
Machine operators where I worked did exercises every morning and about every 2 hrs. during the day.
Arms extended in front of you...
1. make loose fists, rotate wrists (not arms) first one way then the other, like 10 x each way.
2. fingers stretched out, push down at the wrists, then up 10x
3. open and close hands 10x
Hope this helps. And don't sleep on it.

Answer 5

See a chiropractor or an osteopath.

Because carpal tunnel is a consistant motion injury, you need to change the way you use the keyboard periodically.

Answer 6

If you are unable to reduce the carpal bone (which seems to come out of place) by yourself, or someone in the home... you may want to visit a doctor of chiropractic for a simple reduction of the small bone of the wrist. Is usually just one of them but it can create a lot of problems and discomfort.

Answer 7

When my wrists start bothering me, I try to take a break from the computer and just take deep, long breaths. I wiggle my fingers, and stretch them, too. In essence, try doing different movements with your fingers, hands and wrists than you do normally. If you're always typing, try putting your hands in a fist, and leaving it like that for a while. It'll definitely help.

Answer 8

Ihave carpel tunnel syndrome in my right wrist and am going to have an operation for it in a few weeks.
My doctor told me that it would be for the best.

Answer 9

Most important is to take breaks during the day, and do some stretching. Sometimes alternate heat and cold helps. But basically, don't stay on the computer for long stretches of time.

Answer 10

Take B-12