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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (hereafter referred to as “CTS”) is generally considered to be a wrist problem in which the median nerve becomes compressed and irritated within the carpal tunnel, which is a passageway that runs between bones and ligaments in the wrist.  CTS produces symptoms of numbness, tingling, pain, and/or weakness in the thumb and first two fingers of the hand.  In some cases, pain may shoot up the arm along the course of the median nerve. 

But just because the carpal tunnel is in the wrist does not mean that all cases diagnosed as CTS are actually due to problems in the wrist.  In fact, many cases of CTS are due to compression of the median nerve at other sites in the arm and/or the lower neck, which is where the median nerve originates.  In many cases, there may be more than one site of nerve compression, and this adds to the complexity of finding the appropriate treatment for CTS.

Unfortunately, there is a tendency for doctors and therapists to focus in primarily at the wrist and hand when treating CTS and in many cases, the primary underlying problems are missed.  Some doctors, particularly among those who frequently  perform surgery for CTS will sometimes actually dismiss any consideration of other possible sites of nerve entrapment besides the wrist, even in cases where nerve testing has shown very conclusively that the primary problem is NOT in the wrist!   Beware the doctor who is a little too anxious to perform CTS surgery on you!  This is not to say that surgery is never indicated for CTS, but in the majority of cases, surgery is unnecessary, particularly in the wrist. 

 If you doubt this assertion, think for a moment about the activity most commonly associated with CTS.  It’s computer use, right?  Now, other people get CTS, but in far fewer numbers than those who spend long hours on computers.  Why do you think that is?  I mean, is typing on a computer keyboard really that hard on the hands and wrists?  While carpenters, massage therapists, construction workers, and people who place considerably more strain on their hands and wrists do get CTS, the numbers are relatively small in my experience compared to the number of CTS sufferers who are computer users.  Why?  Well, what happens when you work on a computer for a long period of time?  Well, for most people, their posture gets really bad after a while because most people begin to slouch, their shoulders roll inward, and their heads shift forward.  Guess what happens when you slouch, roll your shoulders inward and let your head shift forward? You compress nerves in the neck and shoulder area, including nerves that comprise the median nerve. 

So, in most cases, the way to alleviate CTS is to correct the postural distortions that occur and look at all possible sites of median nerve entrapment, from the wrist to the neck.  Through exercises, massage, functional joint correction, and sometimes nutritional supplementation to reduce inflammation and enhance nerve recovery, CTS can usually be eliminated without surgery, without shots, and without the ongoing use of medication or even splints.

Stay tuned to my natural remedies blog for more on natural relief for carpal tunnel syndrome.

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