Do you have carpal tunnel in Altoona? Does this scenario sound familiar?

You get to work and your hands and wrist feel pretty good. After an hour or so, your hand starts tingling and by afternoon you experience pain that shoots down into your hand through arm and wrist.

If it does, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve becomes compressed, which may cause decreased sensation (tingling/burning) and muscle weakness of the lateral part of the hand (thumb side).

The median nerve is usually compressed at the carpal tunnel, which is at the base of the hand-the part that houses several tendons and the median nerve. If tendons become irritated, swelling can occur and put pressure on the nerve.

The main issue:

The nerve could be getting irritated anywhere from the neck down to the wrist. As a provider, it is very important to not only treat the wrist but check for neck misalignments as well as tight muscles in the forearm and shoulder that could be irritating the nerve.

Treatment for carpal tunnel:

A visit to your chiropractor will take care of the neck and wrist misalignments. You can also try these stretches at home.

Stretches:

It’s always good to stretch the wrist flexors and extensors.

Other than those stretches, try this carpal tunnel stretch that has 5 parts to it.

Hold each stretch for 5-10 seconds. Repeat 2-3x every hour.

1- Hold arm straight out with a closed fist.

2. Open fist and stretch fingers out.

3. Make a C with thumb and fingers.

4. Flip hand over still in C shape.

5. With other hand, grab thumb and extend fingers.

Schedule an appointment with me as soon as you can so I can make sure you’re in proper alignment and help you get started on these stretches!

-Dr. Dawson.