Where is the Carpal Tunnel?

You won't find this tunnel on any map-it's in your wrist. Your carpal (wrist) bones form a tunnel-like structure- the carpal tunnel- through which pass nine tendons and one nerve- the median nerve. CTS (also called occupational neuritis, partial thenar atrophy and median neuritis) occurs when the median nerve is irritated. CTS is so common it's been called the "occupational diseas of the 1990s."

Who Gets CTS?

People who do repetitive tasks- housewives, secretaries, meat cutters, assembly line workers, carpenters, musicians, computer users and others. Also, fracture or a fall on the hand, and a poorly designed and/or vibrating hand tools may damage the palm of the hand and cause CTS. Other causes are rheumatoid or osteoarthritis, Paget's bone disease, multiple myeloma, acromegaly and gout. It is often found in pregnant women, women who use birth control pills or individuals who have an underactive thyroid.

The Medical Approach

The medical approach tries to relieve the pain by wrist immobilization, ice or drugs(diuretics or anti-inflammatories). If the symptoms persist, corticosteriods may be injected into the crease in the hand near the wrist which may provide relief but has a high relapse rate(and many side effects).

Surgery may be resorted to with hand surgeons performing 100,000 operations a year for CTS. Recovery from such surgery may take from 6 months to 10 years. The limitations of standard medical care led the late Robert Mendelsohn, M.D. to state:

Since the medical treatment for this condition is so often unsatisfactory, I have for years been recommending that my patients consult experts in muscle and joint therapy.

Your Spine & Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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).

Not surprisingly, when 1,000 cases of carpal tunnel syndrome were investigated it was found that a large number of those suffering from CTS also had neck arthritis.

The Chiropractic Approach

Anyone suffering from CTS should see a chiropractor to ensure that his/her spinal column is free from nerve pressure between the arms and wrists and the nerves in the neck. The musicians, computer operators and other workers who suffer from CTS are not only using their wrists in their tasks- the neck is also involved. Altered spinal movements may be creating strain on the neck to cause or aggravate the condition. For over a hundred years, doctors of chiropractic 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.