Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) affects around six percent of the adult population in the world. It can cause various symptoms ranging from painful achy fingers to feeling pins and needles in your hand and arm.
When the painful symptoms start showing, they could cause significant disruptions in your routine. Good thing, you can now make use of certain remedies to relieve your carpal tunnel pain.
Let’s look at the top 8 possible options you can try in the list below, including going to a carpal tunnel syndrome chiropractor!
1. Use a splint for support
Carpal tunnel syndrome primarily results from the compression or irritation of the median nerve. This particular nerve bundle supplies sensation and controls the movement of each hand and arm.
By wearing a wrist splint, you can reduce the pressure on the median nerve. This can help you lessen the pain you experience and provide enough time for recovery. Essentially, a wrist splint looks like a modified glove that stabilizes the affected wrist.
Below are a couple handy tips to keep in mind when you wear a splint to relieve carpal tunnel pain:
- Feel free to wear a wrist splint when you sleep because it can heavily contribute to your nerve healing process.
- Avoid wearing your splint when you work on tasks or handle chores. Otherwise, your tendons and ligaments might end up getting stained.
- Take note that your wrist splint only works well for short-term relief. If you want to experience longer-lasting effects, you’ll need to try other remedies, such as asking for the assistance of a carpal tunnel syndrome chiropractor.
2. Opt to move slowly
The last thing you want is to put more stress on the affected areas. That’s why, you should consider using gentler strokes when you move your hands. For example, instead of pounding on your computer keyboard, you should opt for softer and slower keystrokes.
You can also try loosening your grip when trying to open a bottle or jar. This way, you don’t end up putting undue stress on the muscles and connective tissues situated near the median nerve.
3. Use an ice pack to ease the pain
Applying cold compress is quite an old-school approach to handling pain. Fortunately, it also works quite well for carpal tunnel syndrome management. It helps reduce swelling, a key factor that contributes to the painful sensation caused by the condition. Be sure to leave on the compress no more than 15 minutes per interval to avoid suffering from frostbite.
4. Elevate the painful area during sleep
Sometimes, carpal tunnel syndrome occurs in pregnant women. When this happens, it becomes even more challenging to deal with the joints and muscles’ swelling because of increased water retention during pregnancy.
This is why it’s a good idea to raise your arm a bit when you sleep to encourage proper drainage of excess fluid in your arm and wrist. You can also use this remedy if your condition stems from a fracture or another similar injury.
5. See improvements with gentle wrist exercises
Doing gentle wrist stretches can help reduce your carpal tunnel pain. They can also come in handy in preventing the symptoms from recurring. Here are some of the simplest yet most useful wrist exercises you can try to cope with your condition:
- Bending your wrist back and forth
- Flexing your wrists
- Doing wrist lifts on both hands
- Bending each finger slowly for five seconds
Remember not to overexert yourself when doing the exercises listed above. Also, try doing these stretches every day to see if it eases your symptoms.
6. Give ample time to rest each wrist
CTS can stem from repetitive wrist movements. This is why workers who often follow the same routine each day, such as cashiers, assembly line workers, and carpenters, often complain about pins and needles on their hands or numbing sensation on their fingers.
If you’re no stranger to CTS yourself, you should aim to get enough rest for your wrists. You should at least spend two weeks resting your ailing wrists. You can do that by switching up your movements, using one hand instead of the other to prevent overworking the muscles and joints.
7. Minimizing wrist strain with tools and other innovations
Another helpful way you can reduce your carpal tunnel pain is by using tools and innovations such as anti-vibration gloves, especially if your job requires using pieces of machinery that vibrate. You can also invest in ergonomic pens, computer mice, and utensils that provide you with better grip without requiring additional force from your wrists and hands.
8. Try getting help from a carpal tunnel syndrome chiropractor
If you have been experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms for a while now, you should consult a carpal tunnel syndrome chiropractor. Possibly, your pain isn’t going away because your misaligned neck bones have been irritating your median nerve. The median nerve begins at the neck and ends in the hand. Many times the symptoms are felt at the end of the nerve but the problem begins at the beginning of the nerve.
With the expertise of a NUCCA chiropractor, you can get the alignment of the spine corrected and relieve the irritation off of the nerve at the source. This way, your body can stimulate self-healing, and you can begin noticing changes in your carpal tunnel pain.
NUCCA care is a precise and gentle method used by many patients complaining about carpal tunnel syndrome. It uses digital imaging to determine the exact correction to perform. Also, the adjustments are designed to hold much longer, allowing you to experience long-term benefits.
Want to know more about how you can get rid of your carpal tunnel pain through NUCCA care? Feel free to talk to a NUCCA doctor near you today!
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