Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common repetitive-use strain injury that can disrupt your professional and personal life. While this condition can be genetic or result from other factors, it’s primarily caused by frequently using your hands and wrists to execute repeated motions. Carpal tunnel syndrome is prevalent in manufacturing jobs and assembly-line work. You also see many cases among office workers, musicians, and cashiers. Other high-risk jobs include users of vibrating air tools.
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, tingling, and numbness that travel from your fingers up into your arm. Recovery often takes longer than necessary due to patients not allowing a long enough time to heal. Unfortunately, carpal tunnel syndrome can worsen if not treated appropriately. Many patients continue to use their injured wrist, which often worsens pain and nerve damage.
If you suffer from carpal tunnel, don’t ignore it. But if you’re putting off carpal tunnel treatment because you’re worried about surgery, don’t give it another thought. At the Blatman Health and Wellness Center, we specialize in non-invasive techniques that help alleviate pain and safely and effectively address underlying conditions. In the meantime, there are at-home strategies that can help ease the discomfort.
Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome at Home
If you’re wondering what you can do for your carpal tunnel syndrome, start by resting your injured arm, minimizing use, and trying some at-home therapies. The most straightforward strategy is to limit the repetitive activity that causes the pain. This can be challenging if the motion is required for your job, but using ergonomic devices may help alleviate the issue. For example, if you often type on a keyboard, you could try a wrist rest in front of the keyboard, or an ergonomic mouse that limits the amount of repetitive motion to operate machinery or tools.
Raising your wrists above your head at night while you sleep can also bring relief. Wrist splints can also help limit motion. We’d recommend wearing the splint at night to reduce flexion of the wrist while you sleep.
Massaging your hands with Chinese medicine balls can also reduce the pain. These are small metal balls, usually about the size of gumballs or golf balls, that you roll between the fingers or squeeze to massage the tendons in the hands and fingers.
Have You Tried Professional Massage to Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Massage therapy is one of the most cost-effective treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome. It’s non-invasive and can provide long-term relief by targeting inflammation, pain, and numbness. Massage helps to soften and lengthen the muscles of the neck, shoulders, upper arms, elbows, forearms, wrists, and hands.
Massage is just one of the integrative treatments we offer at the Blatman Health and Wellness Center, with locations in Cincinnati and New York City. Our massage treatments take a functional approach by addressing trigger points and tension in the soft tissue of the shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands. We sometimes massage the pectoral and subscapularis muscles to release the medial rotation of the shoulder.
Sessions typically take 60 to 90 minutes. Many of our patients find relief after just one appointment. However, we generally recommend at least four to six sessions for a steady, long-term therapeutic effect.
Relieving Carpal Tunnel Through Natural Means in Cincinnati and NYC
When at-home treatments and massage don’t work, many people resort to an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen or naproxen. These drugs, however, have serious side effects that cannot be taken lightly and cause thousands of deaths every year. Consult your doctor before regularly treating your symptoms with these medications.
Many individuals opt for surgery to resolve nerve entrapment, but studies have indicated that surgery does not reduce recovery time compared to using a brace. Also, carpal tunnel surgery is dangerous and comes with certain risks.
A better option is healing your injuries with functional medicine, which targets and treats the underlying cause of your condition. This natural form of carpal tunnel treatment utilizes non-invasive, integrative methods to promote healing and alleviate pain. Advances in functional and integrative medicine make it possible to regain the use of your hand in safer and more effective ways. Successful, non-invasive methods include prolotherapy, braces, acupuncture, and hot-cold therapy, all of which are available at our integrative wellness clinic.
Get Help for Wrist Pain Today
Knowing how best to heal your carpal tunnel can be challenging. At the Blatman Health and Wellness Center, we specialize in helping patients manage their pain and recover more effectively with less drastic measures. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be painful, but we can help you get back to normal. Contact our office in Cincinnati or New York City to schedule an appointment and experience real relief.