Finding Natural Alternatives to Carpal Tunnel Surgery

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition which can cause pain, weakness and numbness in the wrists, hands and arms – in severe cases, these symptoms can be debilitating. Most cases of carpal tunnel syndrome are caused by repetitive motion injury in the course of work or other habitual activities. Any occupation which involves repetitive hand or wrist motion poses a risk; and poor ergonomic practices and neglecting to take regular breaks make the chances of developing carpal tunnel much higher. If you’ve been experiencing the characteristic symptoms of the condition, don’t ignore them – you need to take steps to prevent injury.

We’re a society where “playing through the pain” is seen as a virtue and as a result we soldier on even when our work causes pain and weakness in our wrists, hands and arms. However, it’s a serious mistake to just grin and bear it; the condition will eventually progress to the point where your ability to work is severely impacted if left untreated.

But what are the inner workings of carpal tunnel syndrome? Carpel tunnel occurs primarily in the hands and wrists when the median nerve is compressed or damaged. This is due to a tightening of the transverse carpal ligament that bundles all of the other ligaments in your wrist tightly. Your median nerve runs along with those inside the wrist. This is what gives you the strength and leverage your hands need to do their jobs.

Placing too much strain on your wrists repeatedly, particularly when combined with poor posture can cause the compression of the median nerve. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to relieve the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and to prevent the condition from developing.

One of the best ways to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome is by practicing good technique and form when doing your job. Also, talk to someone in the company who is in charge of ergonomics and make sure you have an ergonomic assessment done to see just where you can improve. Another way to help is to take short breaks throughout the day, stretching your hands, rubbing them, and keeping the ligaments and soft tissues in the surrounding areas loose. All of this will prevent compression on your median nerve.

Surgery is an option if you have a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome, but keep in mind that like any other surgery, there are some risks involved. While not likely, there is the possibility of losing some of your hand’s strength permanently as an unintended consequence of this procedure. Carpal tunnel surgery can also be very expensive if your insurer doesn’t cover this treatment.

Even after surgery you’ll need to do some physical therapy; using the same stretches and other exercises which you could start doing now to provide relief (and if begun early enough, can even prevent carpal tunnel syndrome). You should look at all of the other options available to you before you consider surgery – in a small number of cases it may be necessary to resort to this treatment, but surgery should always be the last resort, not the first choice.

Considering how often carpal tunnel surgery only causes more problems in carpal tunnel sufferers disappointments, many people are looking to alternative treatments. There are many non-invasive techniques that you should be informed about before going under the knife. Click on this link to learn about the disappointments associated with carpal tunnel surgery.