How a chiropractor can help with carpal tunnel in Louisville KY

Weakness, tingling, pain, and numbness are some of the most common conditions people visit a chiropractor for in Louisville KY. Usually, these symptoms manifest in the hands and fingers of the patient, and they are commonly diagnosed with carpal tunnel. Pressure and damage to the median nerve is the primary cause of carpal tunnel. The median nerve stems from the base of the neck, traveling down through the carpal tunnel in the arm straight to the hand. This median nerve provides feelings on the palm side of part of the fingers, the middle, and the index. There are two major locations where this median nerve can be compressed and damaged; the groove where the nerve passes through in the wrist and the carpal tunnel. Also, because the median nerve stems from the neck area, any pressure or compression problems in the neck can lead to carpal tunnel-like symptoms.

Poor sleep positioning and posture are two primary causes of carpal tunnel problems. Activities and exercises that exert compression and pressure in the neck region can also cause it. Anything that exerts extension in the wrist has the potential of causing a carpal tunnel complication. Some of these activities include bench-press, computer use, push-ups, and other fluid retention resulting from pregnancy. Diabetes and other illnesses can also cause tunnel carpal conditions.

3 Common Causes of Carpal Tunnel in Louisville KY

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is usually accompanied by sensations of burning, pain, tingling, or swelling in the palm of the hands and extends into the first three fingers and the thumb. Occasionally people also report a feeling of swelling in the hand even when no swelling is present. Patients commonly experience weakness in the affected hand and have difficulty picking up small objects. This condition can have a major impact on a person's lifestyle and in some severe cases, if left untreated, the damage to the median nerve can cause permanent loss of movement in the hand.

What is the Cause of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Tech Neck

Research has shown that the average American spends up to 4 hours looking down on handheld electronic devices (primarily mobile phones). This habit of looking down causes your head to go forward and downwards. Consequently, the load and weight exerted on your spine surge up to 60lbs. Over time, an increased load and stress on your spine has far-reaching ramifications on your posture and general health. Loss of proper neck curvature, spinal problems, headaches, and poor neck and shoulder posture are some major complications that come in gradually.

Subluxation

Extremities that can hamper normal motion and irritate your nerves sum up to a subluxation. A subluxation can also be referred to as the misalignment of the bones. Some of the most common symptoms of damaged nerves include numbness, pain, weakness, and burning.

Osteoarthritis

The breakdown and narrowing of the space between joints cause osteoarthritis. It is a common cause in the neck and other spine areas like the wrist where the bones were severed in the past. Osteoarthritis condition slowly creeps in over time, owing to poor posture and lack of motion. To stay healthy, our joints need to move. So, if they are not exercised and moved regularly due to subluxations and a sedentary lifestyle, they break down. In the long run, the patient begins to experience serious bone spurs. The spinal cord and the nerves are equally impaired after a long period of time.

Who Are More Susceptible to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Desk Workers

Spending long days repetitively in front of the computer puts desk workers at an inevitable risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Assembly/Factor Workers

Assembly and factory workers often spend long, repetitive days looking at the items they are making. Depending on their duties, this exerts pressure on the neck and the wrists.

Diabetes

Diabetes causes retention of fluids and swelling of the arms and legs. Such fluids sometimes are trapped inside the carpal tunnel. In turn, a lot of pressure is exerted on the median nerve hence leading to a classical carpal tunnel l syndrome in the victims. Diabetic neuropathy has also been confirmed to cause carpal tunnel-like syndromes.

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