Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition where the median nerve in the wrist is under pressure due to swelling and can cause discomfort, numbness or even shooting pain in the wrist and lower forearm. There are many people in the workforce that suffer from this very common condition and are under a physician's care in order to take care of the symptoms and help ward off any further damage to their wrists and hands. If you are one of these people, or think that you may have symptoms of carpal tunnel, there are many tools that you can use in order to help your condition.
The first step is determining if it is indeed carpal tunnel that you suffer from. You will need to seek out the advice of a family physician or local practitioner for a complete diagnosis. They may ask you questions about your daily activities as well as examine your hands for any pain or swelling. In some extreme cases an electromyography (EMG) test can be required to observe the nerves and muscles in your hands and wrists and compare them to known cases of carpal tunnel syndrome. If you are not satisfied with your doctor's conclusions, you are free to seek out a second opinion. No one knows your body better than you do, so if you feel you are misdiagnosed, be sure to have another doctor check you out before adhering to a treatment plan.
Although carpal tunnel syndrome is easily treated, if left alone it can worsen and cause permanent damage to your median nerve in the wrist. Loss of grip strength, numbness or tingling in the hands and fingers and even shooting pains can be so uncomfortable for some that it may keep them from obtaining employment or performing everyday activities. Rest may temporarily alleviate some of the symptoms of carpal tunnel. Without proper treatment, those symptoms will return and become increasingly worse over time.
Carpal tunnel syndrome can sometimes be caused by another medical condition entirely. Diabetes, thyroid disease, lupus or many others can cause swelling of the tendons and put pressure on your median nerve in your wrist. This can give you carpal tunnel symptoms and should be treated accordingly. Rather than splinting your wrist, you should have treatment plans in place for the underlying condition that is causing the carpal tunnel rather than just treating the wrist itself. Band-aid solutions for the symptoms of carpal tunnel will only temporarily relieve the symptoms and will return if the main medical condition is left untreated to cause problems later.
What you need to do is a couple of stretches every single day, and talk to your physician or chiropractor to find out exactly what you need to do. They'll be able to tell you all of the exercises that you need to do in order to stay in optimal health. They'll also prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs that will help to alleviate the symptoms. This is a very serious condition, and you need to take care of it as quickly as possible or you will end up regretting it. Searing pain shooting up and down your arm is not normal and you cannot live with it, so it's best that you don't even try. Use the steps that have been mentioned in this article and employ them in your life.
The first step is determining if it is indeed carpal tunnel that you suffer from. You will need to seek out the advice of a family physician or local practitioner for a complete diagnosis. They may ask you questions about your daily activities as well as examine your hands for any pain or swelling. In some extreme cases an electromyography (EMG) test can be required to observe the nerves and muscles in your hands and wrists and compare them to known cases of carpal tunnel syndrome. If you are not satisfied with your doctor's conclusions, you are free to seek out a second opinion. No one knows your body better than you do, so if you feel you are misdiagnosed, be sure to have another doctor check you out before adhering to a treatment plan.
Although carpal tunnel syndrome is easily treated, if left alone it can worsen and cause permanent damage to your median nerve in the wrist. Loss of grip strength, numbness or tingling in the hands and fingers and even shooting pains can be so uncomfortable for some that it may keep them from obtaining employment or performing everyday activities. Rest may temporarily alleviate some of the symptoms of carpal tunnel. Without proper treatment, those symptoms will return and become increasingly worse over time.
Carpal tunnel syndrome can sometimes be caused by another medical condition entirely. Diabetes, thyroid disease, lupus or many others can cause swelling of the tendons and put pressure on your median nerve in your wrist. This can give you carpal tunnel symptoms and should be treated accordingly. Rather than splinting your wrist, you should have treatment plans in place for the underlying condition that is causing the carpal tunnel rather than just treating the wrist itself. Band-aid solutions for the symptoms of carpal tunnel will only temporarily relieve the symptoms and will return if the main medical condition is left untreated to cause problems later.
What you need to do is a couple of stretches every single day, and talk to your physician or chiropractor to find out exactly what you need to do. They'll be able to tell you all of the exercises that you need to do in order to stay in optimal health. They'll also prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs that will help to alleviate the symptoms. This is a very serious condition, and you need to take care of it as quickly as possible or you will end up regretting it. Searing pain shooting up and down your arm is not normal and you cannot live with it, so it's best that you don't even try. Use the steps that have been mentioned in this article and employ them in your life.
About the Author:
Anyone who has ever felt the tingling numbness in their fingers, hands and shoulders knows how irritating carpal tunnel syndrome can be. For people all over the world, relief has been found in the simple exercises outlined by Tom Nicholson. Wouldn't you like to avoid invasive surgery and ease your pain through a series of simple carpal tunnel exercises? Click on that link to get a glimpse of Tom's unique set of exercises.
