Numerous people experience numbness, tingling or piercing pain in the hand or wrist and ignore the fact that they may be suffering from carpal tunnel. In case you are wondering what is carpal tunnel, you should know that this is a condition which affects the median nerve in the wrist and which can lead to permanent damage if left untreated. The good news is that you can get carpal tunnel relief provided that you follow the treatment plan prescribed by a medical specialist.
Although the carpal tunnel syndrome affects a large number of people and causes discomfort and, in the most severe cases, aching pain, the general public has very little information about this medical condition. If you do not know what is carpal tunnel you should learn that this syndrome occurs when the median nerve is squeezed or pressed. When the median nerve is compressed, it can no longer control the impulses sent to the muscles in the hand; in this case, moving the thumb and the fingers becomes difficult and even impossible. In order to better understand what is carpal tunnel, you should learn also learn a thing or two about the causes of this syndrome.
According to specialized studies, the carpal tunnel syndrome may have several causes, such as a congenital disorder, trauma or injury to the wrist, thyroid problems, rheumatoid arthritis, work stress, the presence of a cyst or a tumor in the canal. Also, it should be noted that carpal tunnel can also be caused by the repeated use of vibrating hand tools; for people who work with such tools on a daily basis, the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome is higher. It is also worth mentioning that this medical condition occurs only in adults and that the carpal tunnel syndrome can be efficiently treated.
If you have been ignoring your numbness or tingling for months and you are now looking for carpal tunnel relief alternatives you should know that there are several ways of easing pain. In case the pain becomes unbearable you should rest the hand and wrist for a couple of weeks; at the same time, you may want to avoid activities that may worsen your pain. You can also resort to drugs to alleviate the pain associated with this medical condition: there are numerous pain relievers that may temporarily ease the pain, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids.
Other carpal tunnel relief options include exercise and alternative therapies; if you have never liked to take drugs and you prefer other modalities of improving your well-being you can give a try to stretching and strengthening exercises. With patience and perseverance, you will obtain excellent results and you will manage to significantly ease the carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. Alternative therapies such as yoga and acupuncture have also been shown to generate positive results in patients with mild or moderate symptoms. All in all, you do not have to let the discomfort and pain caused by carpal tunnel affect your everyday life, when there are so many treatment options that you can try.
We invite you to visit our website to learn what is carpal tunnel and how to get carpal tunnel relief. We put at our readers’ disposal comprehensive information about this medical condition, its causes, symptoms and treatments.