Saturday, July 18, 2009

Carpal Tunnel Surgery Can Often Reduce Hand Strength

By Tom Nicholson

Relieving the pain when carpal tunnel symptoms flare up is difficult. It is not always possible to stop the activity causing the discomfort as it is usually caused by the work you do daily in the workplace. Performing the same movements repeatedly is the main cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. You may have tingling in your fingertips or your entire hand. The pain and numbness may spread to the wrist, forearm, and all the way up through the upper arm, shoulder and neck. This can be extremely painful ranging from moderate to severe pain.

Many people believe surgery to be the only solution to the problem. They believe surgery will take care of this problem, but the truth is the surgery must be followed with therapy and exercise to prevent it from happening again. There are alternatives to surgery that will prevent or even eliminate this condition. Following these alternatives will obtain good results in time

What causes carpal tunnel syndrome? You need to know the reason behind this condition to make choices about how you decide to treat it. Carpal tunnel syndrome commonly occurs in the wrist area. Any activity that involves repetitive motion using your wrist such as a mouse, keyboard, or most any job that involves using the hands will cause the transverse carpal ligament to become tight. This ligament is the one that ties all the ligaments together in the wrist letting you have the strength you need to effectively use your hands.

When the transverse carpal ligament becomes tighter, it causes undue pressure to the median nerve from the other ligaments. This irritates the nerve resulting in tingling, numbing of the fingertips or entire hand, loss of strength, and disabling pain through the fingers, hand, wrist, and arm. This results in loss of use of the entire arm and the ability to perform at work.

You can find a number of effective exercises to relieve symptoms of carpel tunnel syndrome. You will find many on the internet or from your doctor for stretching the transverse carpal ligament and ways to massage you hand to keep it relaxed. It also helps keep the pressure off the median nerve as well as helping ease the pain of carpel tunnel.

The only other choice you have is surgery, which involves relieving the pressure on the median nerve by cutting the transverse carpal ligament. This surgery brings quick relief from the pressure on the nerve but it will take time to heal and is also quite expensive.

With this in mind, would you still rather have surgery? The best thing to do right now is to learn some stretching exercises as well as better work habits to stop carpal tunnel syndrome before it starts. Try using a natural alternative first before making a decision to have surgery.

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