Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has become commonplace today. Many people have jobs today that require a lot of repetitive motion, or our time messing around on our phones or hobbies are detailed and cause these symptoms. Contact our Beaver Dam or Watertown chiropractic clinic today to learn more.

The common symptoms of Carpal tunnel syndrome is known to many of us. A quick list it:

• Pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the hand or wrist
• Shock-like feelings in the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers
• Pain or tingling that travels up the forearm toward the shoulder
• Difficulty holding onto things
• Dropping things
• Clumsiness in the hand

These symptoms may not be constant, but can come and go. They can be worse at night or when holding on to something with a bent wrist for a long time.

There are many activities in our normal daily routines that can cause these symptoms. Typing and texting are two of the most common, but any repetitive movements can cause, or irritate it. Also common times to experience it come during driving or reading. Other causes can be pregnancy, arthritis, hormonal or metabolic changes or injuries to the wrist, such as broken bones or sprains.

Having pain and tingling in your hands doesn’t sound like a big deal, but in reality it can be life changing! Common ways of treating this are wrist braces and ergonomic keyboards that may provide some temporary relief. BUT, like I always say….. It is just treating the symptom and not the problem.

Many times the cause of the problem is not actually in the wrist, but can be caused somewhere up the arm/shoulder/neck. All those typing, texting, driving, knitting,etc…. Activities come with a certain hunched posture that can be the actual cause of the pain in your hands. As you have heard me say before, the answer to your problem can come through Chiropractic care. Not only will you get relief for your carpal tunnel, but you will also learn that the alignment in your neck, shoulder, elbow and wrist can all play a role in causing those pesky carpal tunnel symptoms.

The true culprit is a nerve that runs from your neck, all the way down your arm and ends in your wrist called the median nerve. The median nerve can get pinched by the joints in the neck or even compressed by the muscle near the elbow. A chiropractor is trained in not only finding the specific location causing the issue, but gently treating it as well. Once this compression of the median nerve has been relieved, you’ll notice that the pain and tingling in your hand and fingers goes away.

When a nerve is pinched or compressed, it becomes inflamed. So not only do you need chiropractic care to treat the cause of compression, we also recommend treating the inflammation through supplements, diet, and cold laser therapy. Anti-inflammatory supplements include turmeric, boswellia, and fish oil. Don’t forget that good quality supplements are the key to having them work or not. Diet also plays a large role in inflammation in the body. Foods that promote inflammation include processed meats like bacon and sausage, baked goods due to their high sugar content, and bread or pasta made from white flour just to name a few. Decreasing these foods in your diet can greatly help to reduce inflammation.

We offer cold laser therapy in our office which basically puts energy into the cells of the body to make them work the way they need to. This includes kicking out inflammation. It is a non-invasive, safe, pain-free therapy that doesn’t even make you cold, but reduces inflammation on the area of the body it is used. You may always consult with one of our doctors to see if this therapy is a good option for you.

Try Chiropractic first. The natural/drug free approach is a great way to help rid you of your carpal tunnel symptoms……and get you on the road to wellness.

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At our Wellness Class we will dive deeper into the causes of carpal tunnel syndrome and what you can do at home to help relieve this irritating problem. As always, I will be available to answer questions so bring your questions and get ready to learn! Please join us at our Beaver Dam location for this FREE class on Tuesday, October 15th at 5:30pm. You do not need to be a patient to attend.

Yours in Health,
Dr. Stephanie Tyjeski

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Dr. Stephanie graduated in December 2016 with her Doctorate in Chiropractic at Logan University. She continued on at Logan University to receive her Masters in Nutrition and Human Performance. She is also certified as a Digestive Health Professional through the Loomis Enzyme Institute. She currently works at Tyjeski Family Chiropractic and Wellness Center.