Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a very painful condition

Acupuncture and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Many of us have heard about the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) which is turning out to be a very common job related injury in today’s times. Almost 465,000 carpal tunnel release operations are carried out each year and this syndrome has been tagged for causing the most frequent operation in the wrist and hands. Carpal tunnel is actually the fine passageway inside our wrist which is composed of bones and ligaments. Tendons and median nerve are present in this pathway and when the tendons in this area get irritated, it puts a stress on the median nerve. This gradually leads to carpal tunnel syndrome which starts off with numbness in the palm area and the fingers as well. Later on, as the symptoms increase, pain and numbness in the hand and wrist area occurs more regularly and as the time passes by, you can find it difficult to get a firm grasp on smaller items. CTS can certainly pose a threat by causing irreversible nerve damage if it is not treated in time.

Acupuncture is one of the effective ways of treatment of this syndrome and addresses the problem by eliminating the symptoms. In fact, treatment of CTS especially during the early stages can get excellent results with the use of acupuncture. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, it believes that the flow of blood and Qi (energy) is disrupted or stagnated in this injury and conclude that cold and dampness are piercing into the muscles of the wrist. Acupuncture aims at reducing the swelling of the soft tissues and thereby also reduces edema. This treatment works by removing the stagnation of the blood and Qi and brings them to back normal whereby the accompanying symptoms can be treated accordingly. Several research studies have proved that acupuncture can enhance the cortisol production which is a hormone that can reduce inflammation and pain. CTS is also referred to as the median nerve entrapment which is a result of soft tissue swelling, one should consider taking up acupuncture as a serious option for treatment.

Many a times CTS gets misdiagnosed with the other syndromes of the hand, wrist and the shoulders. If you are using Acupuncture to treat CTS, an acupuncturist who is skilled at dealing with the musculoskeletal problems will further diagnose the issue and many times, CTS is confused with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and this can be avoided using acupuncture for your treatment.

Patients suffering from CTS also usually go through neck pain, headaches, eye strain and shoulder stiffness which can be effectively treated through acupuncture. Several studies point out that the treatment of CTS with acupuncture is as effective as the use of steroids, of course, minus the side effects. Steroids are not a good option of treatment and acupuncture aims at removing the symptoms of CTS which offers relief from pain and discomfort.

We can report that their patients have recovered remarkably from carpal tunnel syndrome without having to go through surgery which is positive feedback for all CTS sufferers to try out acupuncture, especially if they are in its early stages. In stubborn cases we use acupuncture point injection therapy as well as acupuncture to treat this condition. Carpal tunnel syndrome can also benefit form the use of Chinese herbal formulas.

References:
Acupuncture Information
Acupuncture Treatment
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Articles 

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