Carpal Tunnel is a wear and tear injury. It is what is categorized as a repetitive stress injury. When tendons and muscles become overused they often develop scar tissue, and inflammation as an adaptation.
As the tendons and muscles tighten….they become more and more inflamed, even beginning to impinge on nearby nerves, blood vessels or ligaments. Especially in the case of Carpal tunnel, entrapment is the key word. Looking at the anatomy, the nerves of the wrist literally run through a “tunnel” like opening made up of the flexor tendons, the carpal bones of the wrist, and the median nerve.
Carpal Tunnel is often accompanied by tingling or paraesthesia, and hand pain. What’s often overlooked in Carpal Tunnel is the BIG PICTURE!
Local surgery to the carpal tunnel often needs to be repeated soon after, and the pain often does not cease. Exercises alone, often do nothing to deal with tissue inflammation and scar tissue. Icing alone, or anti-inflammatories never fix the movement, muscle and joint dysfunction.
Carpal Tunnel often begins in the neck. The phenomenon of triple crush syndrome means that the median nerve is entrapped
intially as a nerve root at the neck (C5-T1), meaning if the neck has vertebral subluxations or misalignments the impingement can actually begin here.
Thoracic outlet Impingement: The muscles of the front of the neck and shoulder can impinge on the brachial plexus as it exits the shoulder, inflaming the nerve as it transits down to the carpal tunnel and hand.
Pronator teres Entrapment: A muscle deep in the forearm can actually be the hidden cause of hand pain and tingling sensations (paraesthesia)
some more nasty and serious causes….that are more rare: Diabetic Neuropathy, Cervical disc syndrome, cervical rib syndrome(true TOS)
The number one key is to see someone who specializes in this subject.
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