Treatment Articles:
Is there any treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel surgery has a high failure rate.
Exercise as treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Immobilizing braces.
Is there any treatment?
Initial treatment generally involves resting the affected hand and wrist for at least 2 weeks, avoiding activities that may worsen symptoms, and immobilizing the wrist in a splint to avoid further damage from twisting or bending. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, other nonprescription pain relievers, and oral steroids (prednisone) may ease pain. Steroid injections can also be sued to alleviate the swelling and pressure on the median nerve. For more severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, open carpal tunnel release surgery or endoscopic carpal tunnel release may be recommended. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Carpal tunnel surgery has a high failure rate.
About one third of the time there are very good results with carpal tunnel surgery.
But about one third of the time there are mixed results. The pain may go but the hand may be weaker than it was before.
About one third of the time the hand is worse than before! This can be due to infection after surgery, a mistake in the surgery or because the problem was not actually carpal tunnel syndrome - it was a misdiagnosis!
Also the problem often comes back due to scar tissue forming after surgery. This causes pressure in the carpal tunnel.
Also it makes sense that if the problem was caused by how you were using your hands and that is not addressed the carpal tunnel problem could return.
There is evidence of a positive association between highly repetitive work and CTS. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
"30% reported poor to fair strength and long-term scar discomfort, and 57% noted a return of some pre-operative symptoms, most commonly pain, beginning an average of 2 years after surgery." Source : Journal of Hand Surgery: Journal of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand. Volume 20, Issue 4, August 1995, Long-term results of carpal tunnel release
"The fail rate for carpal tunnel surgery is over 50%. Many times I meet women who have undergone multiple surgeries, still unable to work and struggling with chronic pain." Kate Montgomery Certified Sports Massage Therapist, Holistic Health Practitioner and Traditional Naturopathic Doctor. Sportstouch.com
Exercise as treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome
University of Oklahoma Orthopaedic & Reconstructive Research Foundation studies indicate that two out of three patients with mild to moderate carpal tunnel symptoms were able to avoid surgery by using exercises - twice the success rate of other nonsurgical treatments.
Recently I have discovered an exercise program that has improved my pain and weakness and means I no longer need to attend weekly physiotherapy classes. I have even stopped wearing my splints and have no more tingling, numbness or " electric shocks". For those wishing to know about this exercise program, Geoffrey Hunt, exercise rehab expert, has compiled all of his knowledge into an eBook that can be downloaded and put to use instantly.
Immobilizing braces
The importance of wrist braces and splints in the carpal tunnel syndrome therapy is known, but many people are unwilling to use braces.
Current recommendations generally don't suggest immobilizing braces, but instead activity modification and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as initial therapy. Katz, Jeffrey N.; Simmons, Barry P. (2002). "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome". New England Journal of Medicine
