Carpal Tunnel Pain
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Amarillo, Tx
Many surgical procedures range from $6,000 to $12,000 dollars with fewer than 60% of the outcomes in full resolution of the symptoms they suffer from. As a result, more and more people are seeking to elect more conservative approaches to care. There are some alternative treatments to carpal tunnel syndrome that have higher rates of success, cost less, and are far more affordable.
Many of the incoming patients at Chiropractic + Recovery have complaints of wrist pain and questions about what exactly carpal tunnel syndrome feels like. Typically, swelling and bony misalignments of the wrist lead to the median nerve becoming compressed. Patients often begin to feel sensations of pain, tingling, swelling, or burning from first to the third digit and the thumb. It’s pretty common for these patients to report weakness throughout the hand affected and that picking up even small objects isn’t nearly as easy. In some cases, people say they feel as though swelling is occurring when, in fact, there is none present.
In addition to questions about what carpal tunnel syndrome feels like, patients aren’t often aware as to how it developed. Usually, the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome isn’t blatantly obvious. Sometimes a patient may have an accident that results in symptom development shortly after, but that’s less common. Certain occupations have shown to contribute to the condition with jobs involving long-term use of vibrating instruments and repetitious movements of the hands and wrists. It has also been seen that metabolic disorders of the pituitary and thyroid gland can likely contribute to the development.
Carpal tunnel typically starts in a person’s dominant hand, depending on the activity, though it is common to have symptoms running through both hands. Many health care professionals tend to focus on the site of the pain and not the root cause where the problem actually resides. In fact, it’s been shown that the patients who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome in both arms typically harbor nerve irritation coming from the spine. Which is probably why carpal decompression surgeries fail to treat the problem 40% of the time. Though carpal tunnel is more common in the dominant hand, it’s almost 3 times more likely to occur in women than
men due mostly to the size of the tunnel itself.
The Best Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Finding the underlying cause of your carpal tunnel syndrome will present the most appropriate treatment for you. Just like any other condition, we always advise starting with a non-invasive, more affordable treatment. Prescription medications, decompression surgery, and different types of physical therapy might provide short-term relief, but the symptoms most often recur due to lack of correction of the spinal nerve interference. Dr. Kaci Roach at Chiropractic + Recovery will always evaluate your condition and find the best personalized treatment plan for you. Most patients begin experiencing significant improvements of their symptoms after just a few treatments. If the symptoms continue to persist, adjustments to the bones in the wrist and additional therapy to the surrounding tissue will likely need to be considered.
We understand that making decisions about carpal tunnel syndrome treatments can be difficult. If you need more information about carpal tunnel or would like to schedule a consultation, please contact our clinic today.
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