Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the most common initial diagnosis for numb or tingling hands. The numbness (or tingling) often occurs when one of the nerves to the hand is compromised in some way – slowing (or even stopping) the nerve signals to and from the hand.
A diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome assumes that one of these nerves is compressed at the point where it travels through the carpal tunnel – a narrow tunnel on the palm side of the wrist. However, the name Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can often be a misnomer – due the fact that these nerves may be irritated, injured or compressed, not only at the carpal tunnel, but at any point between the neck and the fingertips.
Hand numbness, (including carpal tunnel syndrome) is usually the result of either trauma (like sprains or muscle strains to the arm or whiplash injuries to the neck) or chronic, repetitive strain (like using a computer mouse and keyboard). Additionally, though quite uncommon, hand numbness can occasionally be the result of compression of the nerves or spinal cord (from a vertebral disc bulge (slipped disc) or a tumor in the spinal canal) or diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes or cancer.
There are several different factors that can contribute to these common problems. Inflammation, muscle spasm, soft tissue adhesion and fibrosis, mechanical joint irritation, carpal joint instability, poor workspace ergonomics, nerve irritation and muscle weakness are some of the more crucial factors involved with most hand numbness.
Often when prior treatment has proven unsuccessful, it may be due to not having one or more of these factors properly addressed, or not addressing the nerve compression at the precise point of compression (We see examples of this quite frequently at our studio, in that someone suffering with numb hands has not had any relief from any other treatment, including carpal tunnel release surgery. Even in these instances where no relief has been provided by prior treatments – including surgery – we often are able to eliminate or reduce the numbness by examining and treating the entire length of the nerve, and possibly contributing muscles – from neck to fingertip.)
At Danielle’s Table, I offer a wide variety of treatment options tailored to treat your specific problems, by tackling carpal tunnel syndrome at its root cause(s). In fact, my well-rounded approach allows me to successfully treat many cases of carpal tunnel syndrome where other treatments have failed.
Active Release Techniques (ART) soft tissue massage therapy, joint strengthening techniques, Trigger Point therapy and other soft tissue therapies, forearm strengthening exercises and stretches are some of the most common approaches that we use in alleviating hand numbness (like carpal tunnel syndrome), though if it’s ever apparent that you need treatment beyond what we can provide, we can refer you to one of the many other health professionals that we trust.
Please click HERE to schedule a rejuvinating massage to help alleviate your hand numbness..
