Carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS, is a frequent complaint here at Dr. David Perna’s office. Symptoms include barely noticeable numbness to extreme pain and disability in the hand or wrist. Pain so bad that can cause a worker to have to change his or her career. Research done has shown that the cause of CTS is the compression of the median nerve as it travels through the carpal tunnel at the wrist. This can be the result of repetitive motions, physical injury, and conditions like arthritis, diabetes, and pregnancy. In short, things that reduce the tunnel’s size can result in median nerve compression. This is CTS.
Studies done have found out that jobs that require a lot of repetitive and forceful work, such as industrial jobs with a lot of tools, increase the risk for CTS. Although this is true, the evidence is not as clear for jobs that require just repetitive motions, like typing on a keyboard.
A Danish study was done to monitor the wrist health of 5,600 tech assistants. The study found that keyboard use may not be a cause of CTS. The study concluded that 11 percent of workers experienced tingling or numbness in the hands, but o my 5 percent were technically diagnosed with CTS, based on their description of symptoms. The study did find that using a mouse for 20 or more hours in the week did increase CTS.
Dr. David Perna wants you to know that even though you may not have CTS, working at a computer all day can still cause pain in the hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders, and neck. Again, half of the workers experiencing tingling for numbness did not meet the diagnosis for CTS.
Pain anywhere in the neck, shoulders, and elbows to the wrists are able to put pressure on the median nerve resulting in CTS. Doctors of chiropractic, like Dr. David Perna, are equipped to evaluate and treat the patient of CTS. Dr. David Perna is also able to treat the whole person and identify any other problems that could mimic CTS. Many times, a patient may not get full relief unless a separate problem in the neck or shoulders is resolved.
Suffer from wrist or hand pain? Contact us now. We have three simple ways you can make an appointment at our Back and Body NY chiro office:
Call now on (212)371 2000 or text (315)873-3095 or email us at Your.Friends@BackAndBodyNY.com
