When it comes to the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome, most patients are looking for quick relief from the weakness, numbness, or tingling being felt in the wrist and hand. Some who experience carpal tunnel find that the pain is worse at night. A patient may also get slight relief when shaking the hand on the affected arm.
When a doctor is evaluating a patient for carpal tunnel, a history of neck trauma should always be considered.
Why is this the case?
As far back as 1973, the term “double crush syndrome” was coined to describe the hypothesis that carpal tunnel pain was connected to a problem with the cervical spine. Since then, the relationship between the neck and carpal tunnel syndrome has been the topic of numerous studies, some of which involved as many as 1,000 cases of this condition.
Even opponents of the double crush theory still acknowledge the importance of examining a patient at multiple points and not just the wrist. The fact is that even if the exact methodology is not understood, surgery alone frequently fails to correct carpal tunnel, especially on a long-term basis. This calls for examining the cervical spine as the frequency of carpal tunnel and cervical pathologies presenting together is not in question.
As a result, it just makes sense for a carpal tunnel patient to exhaust more conservative possibilities before submitting to surgery. NUCCA care is extremely gentle and specifically corrects misalignments of the upper cervical spine that may play a role in carpal tunnel syndrome.
X-rays reveal the exact misalignment and allow a practitioner to provide a precise correction to the neck with minimal force. This gives surrounding nerves and tissues the opportunity to heal, experience restored blood flow, and to provide proper communication between the brainstem and the rest of the body. Thus, patients often experience a reduction in pain if not complete relief.
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References:
Upton ARM, McComas AJ. The double crush in nerve entrapment syndromes. Lancet. 1973;2:359–362. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(73)93196-6
Hurst LC, Weissberg D, Carroll RE. The relationship of the double crush to
carpal tunnel syndrome (an analysis of 1,000 cases of carpal tunnel syndrome). J
Hand Surg Br. 1985 Jun;10(2):202-4. PubMed PMID: 4031604.
Russell, Brent S. Carpal tunnel syndrome and the “double crush” hypothesis: a review and implications for chiropractic. Chiropractic & Osteopathy. 21 April 2008. DOI: 10.1186/1746-1340-16-2.
