Do you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)?
You may if you have one or more of the following:
- tingling and numbness in the hand, fingers and wrist;
- pain so intense that it awakens you at night and
- similar symptoms in the upper arm, elbow, shoulder or neck.
People who do repetitive tasks--housewives, secretaries, meat cutters, assembly line workers, carpenters, musicians, computer users, etc. are prone to getting CTS.
Also, fractures or a fall on the hand, and poorly designed and/or vibrating hand tools many damage the palm of the hand and cause CTS.
Other causes are rheumatoid or osteoarthritis, Pagets bone disease, multiple myeloma, acromegaly, gout and in some instances women who use birth control pills or individuals who have an under active thyroid.
The relationship between spinal health and carpal tunnel has been documented by a number of individuals who found spinal nerve root irritation in patients who had carpal tunnel or ulnar neuro-pathy.
Others have found that nerve compression in the neck can block the flow of nutrients to the nerves in the wrist, making it more susceptible to injury. (This is called the double crush syndrome.)
Anyone suffering from CTS should see a Chiropractor to ensure that his/her spinal column is free from nerve pressure between the arms, wrists and the nerves in the neck.
Altered spinal movements may be creating strain on the neck to cause or aggravate the condition.
For over a hundred years doctors have been adjusting patients spines to better balance their vertebral columns.
During this period, chiropractors have observed that some patients have been relieved of classic carpal tunnel symptoms after spinal adjustments.