Unheard of only a generation ago, carpal tunnel
syndrome or CTS is the term used to describe a set of symptoms that occurs when
the median nerve in the wrist is compressed or damaged. The median nerve
controls the thumb muscles and is also responsible for sensations felt in the
palm and the first three fingers of the hand. The carpal tunnel itself is a
very small opening about one-quitter inch below the surface of the wrist
through which the median nerve passes. This median nerve is vulnerable to
compression or injury from a number of causes including tendonitis, bone spurs
or inflammatory arthritis.
As you might already know if you are a practitioner,
this is a complaint that is becoming more and more common because of the
repetitive strain injuries caused by sitting in front of the computer.
The
Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome |
Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome range from mild
numbness and faint tingling to excruciating pain accompanied by a crippling
atrophy of muscles in the thumb. Symptoms become persistent as the condition
worsens and it can affect one or both hands. It can also be worse in the night
or the morning when circulation slows down.
In some people the pain spreads to the forearm and shoulder,
which can be treated by mesotherapy as well as other more traditional methods
Mesotherapy
Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Acute pain can be treated by intradermal injections of
inflammatory drugs. This can include substances such as lidocaine, ketophrophen
lysine-acetyla toprophen lysine-acetylsalycilate 80
mg, xantinol nicotinate 100 mg, cyanocobalamine in a base of injectable water.
This type of intradermal treatment has proven very effective for pain.*
Additional Care and Treatment
Your patient might also have the affected arm put in a
splint, be advised rest and prescribed non-steroidal ant inflammatory drugs for
the pain. If the swelling and pain is severe, some allopathic doctors will
prescribe corticosteroid injections in the wrist.
If the thumb becomes too weak to use as the result of
carpal tunnel syndrome surgery may be required to widen the carpal tunnel in
the arm to prevent further damage to the nerves in your hands and wrists. One
of the goals of mesotherapy
The only non-invasive treatment for carpal tunnel
syndrome is to avoid engaging in the repetitive mechanical tests that are
causing the painful condition in your wrists and hands in the first
place.
Wearing splints can help prevent flare-ups. Splints
are cloth covered metal or plastic braces that attach to the forearm with an elastic
bandage.
Keeping the workplace warm and dry may also prevent
flare-ups.
Other tips for preventing carpal tunnel syndrome are -
- Using the whole hand and all fingers to grip an object
- Using a tool instead of flexing wrists too forcibly
- Making sure that posture is correct when typing or lifting loads
- Adjusting a computer screen so that it is about two feet away and just below the line of sight.
It can also help to buy ergonomically designed desks
and furniture’ if your client spends many hours at the computer.
Taking a ten-minute break for every hour that you work
at the computer can also help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.
For more information about The Pinewood Institute for
the Advancement of Natural Medicine courses including course outlines, detailed
descriptions of courses and information about upcoming training sessions,
please go www.pinewoodinstitute.com. You can also send us an email using our email
form at http://pinewoodinstitute.com/contact.aspx or call us at 416-656-8100.
If you prefer to fax the number is 416-656-8107.
* Korean J Pain. 2014 Jan;27(1):49-53. doi: 10.3344/kjp.2014.27.1.49. Epub 2013 Dec 31.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24478901. Retrieved October 2, 2014.