Numbness, pain, and tingling in your arm or hand can mean you are feeling the effects of the dreaded Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Before your brain immediately plummets to thinking about the injections and surgeries in your future, check in with Dr. Roger at Gulph Mills Chiropractic to see how he can help you. Dr. Roger is one of the few chiropractors in the area who specializes in extremity adjustments.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is frightfully common, affecting 3 to 6 percent of adults in the United States, according to American Family Physician. Many Primary Care Physicians will provide you with a brace and suggest aggressive, invasive treatments, such as steroid injections and even surgery. I don’t know about you, but I’d really prefer to try pretty much anything else before a doctor plunges a needle or a scalpel into my skin. Fortunately, chiropractic is an excellent treatment for Carpal Tunnel, and chiropractic is safe and effective.

You may have some questions about what CTS is, and why chiropractic works to relieve it, so here y’go …

Carpal tunnel syndrome develops when tissues in the wrist squeeze or compress one of the major nerves to the hand, known as the median nerve. Believe it or not, this nerve starts in your cervical spine, which are the group of spinal bones that form your neck (yup, it’s all connected, just like that song, “Dem Bones” says!) The median nerve then runs all the way down your arm and through a narrow passageway in your wrist, known as the carpal tunnel. Pressure to the nerve can occur at several points along the way, including in your cervical spine or in the carpal tunnel.

The syndrome causes pain, numbness and tingling in your arm or hand. Symptoms tend to be worse on the thumb side of the hand. The pain or tingling may travel up your forearm and into your shoulder. Sometimes carpal tunnel syndrome causes shock-like sensations to your thumb and index, middle and ring fingers. Weakness associated with carpal tunnel syndrome can make it difficult to grasp objects or perform fine movements, such as buttoning your clothes. You may even begin to drop things. Fun, fun!

The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome tend to worsen over time. If you are like many people who sleep with your wrists bent, your symptoms may be worse at night. You might also notice symptoms during the day while holding something for a long time with your wrist bent forward or backward, such as using a cell phone or driving a car (two things no one in the US ever does, right? Yikes.)

Left untreated, carpal tunnel syndrome can cause permanent damage to the median nerve. Permanent damage can lead to chronic symptoms, which can be debilitating in some cases. Early diagnosis and treatment can stop the progression of carpal tunnel syndrome before the symptoms become debilitating, so don’t wait! Call Gulph Mills Chiropractic now to see how Dr. Roger can help you: 484-751-5037.