Acupuncture for carpal tunnel
Acupuncture to Relieve Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painfully progressive medical condition that is caused by repetitive wrist action. Three symptoms are associated with carpal tunnel syndrome: pain, numbness, and tingling. Most patients experience their first symptoms during sleep or upon waking up in the morning, feeling the need to 'shake out' their hands when they wake up. This health condition develops gradually over time and as it gets worse, the symptoms persist during the day.
How Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Affects You
A patient with carpal tunnel syndrome may feel a tingling, burning, or itchy-numbness in the palms of their hands and fingers. These sensations are activated by the median nerve, which controls many of the small muscles that allow your fingers and thumbs to move. The carpal tunnel is the passage of bones and ligaments at the base of the hand through which the median nerve runs. When pressure on the wrist is consistently applied, the pressure causes pain, numbness, and weakness of the hands and wrists that can make its way up the arm.
As carpal tunnel syndrome gets worse, you may find it hard to form a fist, grasp small objects, and even lose hand strength and accuracy while fastening buttons, typing on a keyboard, or putting your key in the lock. The ability to tell hot from cold may go away as well.
Treat Carpal Tunnel Naturally with Acupuncture
Conventional medicine offers splints that can be worn during sleep and wrist-aggravating activities like typing. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are also often recommended, but these have side effects on the liver and kidneys and don't work to alleviate the long-term problem. Acupuncture, however, can relieve the pain and stiffness and allow the inflamed muscles to relax. It is safer than taking NSAIDs and cortisone shots and effectively eliminates the source of the pain rather than merely masking the symptoms while allowing the damage to continue as drugs do. Compared with surgery, acupuncture is far less invasive and far less expensive.
It is important to note that even though you will probably feel a lot better after your initial acupuncture treatment, continued treatments over time will help the body heal at the source by decreasing inflammation and maintaining proper circulation and nerve conduction along the arm. Over time, fewer treatments will be needed to keep the carpal tunnel syndrome at bay.