Conditions > Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
Carpal tunnel syndrome carpal tunnel syndrome will go away on its own. In some cases, if left untreated, carpal tunnel can cause the muscles in the hand and wrist to atrophy and weaken.
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What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common hand condition that causes pain, tingling, and numbness in the hand. It occurs when your median nerve, which runs from your shoulder into your fingers, becomes compressed.
In this article, you will learn how long carpal tunnel lasts, what causes the median nerve to become compressed, and how you can treat this common but annoying condition.
How long does carpal tunnel usually last?
If you are diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, your condition may last 2-3 months.
In most cases, carpal tunnel will go away on its own when the hand and wrist is sufficiently rested. In severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, loss of function and limitations of work and daily activities can last for more than 6 months.
What will happen if carpal tunnel syndrome is not treated?
In the beginning, carpal tunnel syndrome may manifest as occasional tingling in the hand and fingers. You may notice you have nocturnal pain and awaken during the night with your hand and fingers tingling.
In severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, as the median nerve stays compressed, you may notice it becomes increasingly difficult to perform daily activities such as holding a pen, opening a jar, buttoning a shirt, or holding the telephone.
If left untreated, carpal tunnel can go away on its own provided activities that trigger symptoms are reduced or eliminated. If a severe case of carpal tunnel is left untreated, muscles and tendons in your hand and wrist can weaken and decay.
Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms
The most common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include:
Wrist pain at night
Tingling in thumb and fingers
General weakness in the hand
Discomfort in the hand
Relief of symptoms after shaking the hand
What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the space through which your median nerve enters the hand and fingers, called the carpal tunnel, becomes compressed and narrowed. As the carpal tunnel narrows, the median nerve becomes compressed and painful.
The narrowing of this space can occur when the ligament of the wrist is overstrained due to a repetitive motion (occupational), a past injury, or an underlying medical condition that causes your wrist to swell. As the ligament is overstrained, it becomes inflamed and weakened. This can cause the integrity of the carpal tunnel to become compromised, resulting in a collapsed pathway for the median nerve.
If your occupation involves performing repetitive motions with your hands or wrists, you may have occupational carpal tunnel syndrome. This may involve working with vibrating tools or manipulating objects with a firm grip.
How can I check myself for carpal tunnel?
It is difficult to self-diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome and you typically should see a physician to make sure pain, numbness, or tingling is caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. Your physician will perform a physical examination.
Remember, there are many other conditions that can cause pain to radiate from the wrist down to the hand. There are also a variety of things that can cause your hand to weaken. See your physician to ensure the best course of treatment to restore proper function to your hand.
If symptoms of severe carpal tunnel syndrome are found, your physician can perform a nerve conduction study in which needles are placed in the hand and forearm, and the speed at which impulses are conducted in the nerves is measured. A nerve conduction study will allow your doctor to determine the severity of the compression of your median nerve.
Carpal tunnel syndrome treatment
Once you have been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, your treatment plan will consist of a combination of the following treatments:
Stop straining the hand and wrist
Reduce or remove repetitive motion that causes your carpal tunnel to flare up. This may mean work adaption if you are suffering from occupational carpal tunnel syndrome for at least 1 month.Incorporate regular stretching
In mild and moderate cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, stretches of your hand and wrist may reduce numbness and tingling. Many release and stretch guide videos can be found online.Wear a night splint
Wearing a night splint can reduce nocturnal pain and improve sleep quality.Incorporate osteopathic manipulation treatments (OMT)
Osteopathic manipulation treatments can naturally reduce inflammation and correct physiological imbalances in the arm and shoulder.Incorporate acupuncture treatments
Acupuncture treatments can help naturally increase grip strength, reduce symptoms, and overall physical well-being.Consider prolotherapy or PRP injections
If carpal tunnel continues to occur after 4 months of the above treatments, consider prolotherapy or PRP treatments to strengthen the ligament in the wrist.
It is possible to treat carpal tunnel syndrome naturally without surgery or steroid injections. A combination of osteopathic manipulation, acupuncture, and herbal medicine can help reduce inflammation in the wrist. For some patients, prolotherapy may be required to strengthen ligaments in the wrist so wrist bones are able to maintain their proper arch.
With the right treatment plan, you can expect to start seeing results within a month. Full recovery from carpal tunnel will take between 2 and 3 months. The key to treating carpal tunnel is ensuring nerve and muscle function is not lost.
If you see muscle and nerve decay in the hand after all of the above treatments have been applied, either steroid injections or surgery of the carpal tunnel should be considered. This is why it’s important to have a physician involved in your care.
References
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Occupational https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419845/
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Diagnosis and Management https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28075090
Carpal Tunnel & Acupuncture https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24707864
Carpal Tunnel & Acupuncture https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3523426/
Carpal Tunnel & Prolotherapy https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(17)30484-6/fulltext
Written by: Dr. Dan Williams, DO
Last edited: April 13, 2019
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