Carpal Tunnel Treatment Oakville – Shockwave Therapy
If you’re suffering from wrist and hand pain our Oakville chiropractors can help! In society today, many of us spend endless hours on our computers, tablets and cellphones. Using our hands to maneuver the mouse and type on a keyboard can be a lot of work for our fingers! Overusing the hands can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Chiropractic care and Acupuncture are effective treatments for managing pain and discomfort related to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The newest research points towards massive ergonomic modifications and Shockwave Therapy for optimal results. The study on carpal tunnel here.
Carpal Tunnel Anatomy
What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the compression of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel, which is located in the wrist. When this happens, it can cause pain, tingling, numbness and/or burning in the wrist and hand. Using the fingers and hands will aggravate the symptoms. In more advanced cases this condition can cause weakness in the hand (especially on the thumb side), clumsiness with the hands or even muscle wasting over the thumb!
Oakville Treatment For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Shockwave
Don’t let wrist pain become chronic. Getting treatment in the early stages makes this carpal tunnel WAY easier to treat.
Treatment for carpal tunnel injuries mirror most of the treatment for wrist and arm injuries at our Oakville clinic. Patients will begin with Suction IFC and a heat pack to stimulate blood flow and help lower inflammation to the affected wrist. Once this is completed shockwave therapy will be performed on the patient’s carpal tunnel and the front of their wrist.
Shockwave Therapy is an air powered gun that uses an enclosed bullet to contact the area of injury at up to 15 times per second. Shockwave is the gold standard for carpal tunnel treatment. Most wrist pain patients will get the shockwave therapy between 1 and 3 BAR and hits of 800 to 1200 depending on their pain tolerance and severity of injury.
Icing is always recommended after any shockwave therapy treatment, but especially for carpel tunnel to reduce inflammation. After the shockwave treatment the chiropractor will use an instrument to “scrape” the injured area, this is not fun, but it works. Finally, in most cases the chiropractor will adjust the wrist to get the smaller bones of the hands working properly again.
Nine muscle tendons run through the carpal tunnel with the median nerve. If the muscles are tight and overworked, the tendons can become irritated and inflamed, and cause swelling within the tunnel. This also adds compression to the median nerve. To make sure the muscles are as loose as possible, our chiropractors will use their hands (or tools) to massage the affected musculature.
Oakville Chiropractor Approved Carpal Tunnel Wrist Brace
The wrist brace does not have to be fancy or expensive. Typically we direct our patients to Amazon to find a simple brace that costs $12-$20. There is no need to spend more! Find a brace that has some rigid supports that will help keep your wrist in a neutral (straight) position overnight. Soft neoprene braces are not rigid enough for this condition, so make sure you look for something with enough support to prevent the wrists from bending at night!
Our chiropractors will almost always recommend braces for work and/or sleeping. As mentioned above, this condition is caused by an abnormal compression of a nerve in the wrist. Working at a computer for 8 hours a day, and resting the hands on the keyboard can be a very aggravating position for the wrist and can make symptoms worse. Additionally, sleeping in a curled up position with the wrists tucked inwards can also aggravate this condition. Curling the hands/wrists inward puts even more compression on this nerve. Spending 6-8 hours sleeping in this position is detrimental to recovery and can slow down the healing process. For this reason, we recommend sleeping with a brace that will help keep your wrist in a neutral position! Learn more about carpal tunnel treatment.
Oakville Acupuncture For Carpal Tunnel
Carpal Tunnel is a condition caused by nerve irritation. Acupuncture is entirely designed to affect specific nerve pathways and reduce nerve irritation. This sounds like a match made in heaven, right?
To treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome our chiropractor, Dr. Jenn, does not have to use many needles. 3-6 needles inserted into the forearm, wrist and hand can have quick and long-lasting effects on this painful condition. Oakville Acupuncture will help to reduce inflammation contributing to the compression of the nerve within the carpal tunnel. Acupuncture is also an excellent pain-relieving modality. Stimulation of the affected nerves through acupuncture can help reduce pain and improve overall functioning of the nerve around the acupuncture points!
