Carpal Tunnel Syndrome & Physiotherapy
Pain, numbness, and tingling in the hand and fingers tell you something’s wrong – but what could it be? It all comes down to the median nerve getting squeezed in your wrist.
Normally, the median nerve, along with some tendons, passes through a gap in the assemblage of bones that make up your wrist. It’s known as the carpal tunnel. But if the space becomes restricted, the nerve can’t function as it should.
Why Do We Get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
To find out why this happens, we have to ask a series of “Why” questions. Very often, the space for the nerve is restricted owing to inflammation of the tendons. With the tendons inflamed and swollen, the nerve is pinched, and the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome appear.
But why do these tendons become inflamed? In today’s world, carpal tunnel syndrome is most likely to be caused by work-related activities. For some, it may be the use of tools that vibrate heavily. For others, it could be “gentler” activities like using a mouse or typing. In rarer cases, a thyroid condition, arthritis or pregnancy-related changes could be responsible.
The Good News About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Although some people need surgery to correct carpal tunnel syndrome, most of us can recover by changing our habits, doing a few exercises, and with a little extra help from our physiotherapist.
First, your physiotherapist will find out what is causing the condition. Are there certain daily habits you need to change or adjust? For example, if resting your wrist on the edge of your desk while using your computer mouse is to blame, it’s time to change mouse hands, get a bigger mouse, and start using a wrist support.
In severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, you may need to wear a wrist support at night or even wear it all day for a few weeks. This support gives your wrist time to recover.
Steroid injections can also help, but we will only administer this treatment if it’s absolutely necessary. Arthritis suffers are often candidates for steroid injections which can be effective for months on end.
Carpal Tunnel Physiotherapy Exercises
Of course, there are also exercises that you can use to reduce the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. The simplest of these is a simple shaking action. Raise your hand and flap it about to loosen up the wrist. You can also try gently pulling your fingers backward and holding them in that position for a few seconds – or squeeze a rubber ball, hold and release.
Do you Need Physio?
It’s up to you to decide whether you need help. For many of our carpal tunnel syndrome patients, physiotherapy is a matter of a single visit, some good advice, and an invitation to call again if the problem persists. But for some, more intensive intervention is necessary. After all, if surgery is on the cards, it makes sense to try every avenue to avoid it.
It’s certainly worth trying physiotherapy to recover from carpal tunnel syndrome. Giving your body the chance to heal itself before trying something drastic like surgery makes sense, and physiotherapy gives you the best possible chance of doing just that.
