Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief Options You Need to Know

Carpal tunnel is a very common affliction that involves one, or both, of your wrists and hands. The condition can be specifically diagnosed whenever the nerves that lie between the fingers and the forearms are tightly entrapped. The pinching of the nerves creates symptoms ranging from mildly uncomfortable, to more severe symptoms that can cause a person to suffer from hand immobility. This problem is of great concern to anyone who is required to work with their hands on a constant basis while they are performing their job. This would include those factory workers who labor on assembly lines; individuals who spend long hours at a computer keyboard and others who use word processors or adding machines to accomplish their job duties.

Carpal Tunnel is caused in most cases by the repetitive use of the hands. It can be due to people performing tasks in a manner that is ergonomically incorrect. When most people use their hands when they work, they tend to adopt habits that will cause them to become exceptionally targeted to developing Carpal Tunnel.

Typically the symptoms involve tingling in the wrist, forearm and fingers of the affected hand, although the little finger is usually immune to such painful symptoms. An individual might also experience swelling in the joints and knuckles of their hands. Perhaps this condition would also trigger burning sensations or numbness that could be felt in a person’s fingers, hands and wrists. Pain is often described as ‘radiating’, although it tends to be more predominant in the wrist and hands.

The most common non-surgical remedies include isolating the nerve of the hands and fingers. A person can wear a specialized arm splint that limits the range of movement of the hands, finger, and the wrist. This splint is more like a brace that forces the hands and the wrists to adapt proper range of movement. A doctor will work with the patient to make adjustments to this device. Many people find that they can work with this device, but they will have to re-learn proper movement techniques when they are at work.

Surgery can be performed in two ways. One method involves an incision being made in the middle of the wrist. The surgeon will cut into the tissue around the wrist. This is said to get rid of the pressure that is causing pain in the wrist, and tingling in the fingers. The second surgical method produces the same results, but it is done with an instrument that is inserted into the wrist, instead of opening up the wrist. This method requires less down time, which is great news for most people, because they can get back to work in about a week or two.

If a patient undergoes the open wrist surgery, then they can expect to heal in about six weeks. If they undergo the second type of surgery, then recovery time is only a week or two. A doctor will recommend which type of surgery is needed, based upon the extent of the damage to the nerves and the tissue.

Carpal Tunnel is very painful and needs to be treated. Taking steps to ease the pain include resting the effected hand and arm, changing your work habits, pain medicine, and then Carpal Tunnel surgery.

We gathered some information about carpal tunnel surgery here-carpal-tunnel-surgery.