Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:
Background:
The Carpal Tunnel is an area in the wrist that is a common impingement site of the median nerve as it travels from the forearm to the wrist. The tunnel is composed of the 8 carpal bones as a base and is covered by the transverse carpal ligament which is a thick fibrotic band of tissue that runs from the inside of the wrist to the outside on the front aspect of the wrist. Through this tunnel must travel a number of tendons, nerves arteries and veins and because of the limited amount of space these structures can easily become compressed.
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome will describe pain and numbness in the hand, more along the thumb and inner 3 fingers, along with associated weakness and muscular atrophy. The person will usually have an occupation that requires repetitive motion of the hand, wrist and fingers (A barber, a computer worker, a construction worker). Carpal tunnel syndrome is often mis-diagnosed as the symptoms can be mimicked by many of the other impingement syndromes that can occur along the course of the nerve as it travels down the neck and arm.
Treatment:
Proper treatment of the syndrome will often require a nerve conduction test and an electromyography test to determine with precision the exact location of the impingement. Once the location has been determined appropriate treatment can then be provided. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has been shown to respond well to conservative Chiropractic care using manipulation, physical therapy and rehabilitation. If you or someone you know is needlessly suffering from wrist and hand pain due to carpal tunnel syndrome come into Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic and have Dr. Gerwig design a customized treatment protocol, without the use of drugs or surgery, that can have you on the road to living pain free today!
Wrist Sprains and Strains:
Background:
The difference between a sprain and a strain is that a sprain involves the ligaments and a strain involves the muscles. They most often accompany each other and can occur as the result of a traumatic accident or from an overuse/repetitive motion injury.
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone suffering from a sprain or a strain around the wrist will usually report pain immediately following a particular activity or motion and there will often be associated swelling of the involved structures. The injured tissue will be extremely sensitive to palpation and any motion that involves using either the muscle or the ligament will create a sharp pain. The most common way to injure these muscles and ligaments is by overloading the wrist joint and either forcing it beyond it’s normal range of motion, or exceeding the strength of the ligaments and tendons that are being loaded.
Treatment:
Conservative Chiropractic care can be extremely effective in healing the initial injury and by undergoing proper rehabilitation to prevent injury in the future. If you or someone you know is needlessly suffering from wrist pain due to a Sprain of the ligaments or a strain of the muscles, come into Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic and have Dr. Gerwig develop a customized treatment protocol, without the use of drugs or surgery, and be on the road to living pain free today!
Dislocation/Subluxation:
Background:
There are eight Carpal wrist bones and each one can be dislocated in a traumatic accident that involves a lot of pressure being put through the wrist, such as a fall on an outstretched hand. A complete dislocation involves an extreme amount of trauma and a visit to the ER to determine if there is damage to any of the surrounding structures (arteries, veins and nerves). In less severe cases the carpal bones can Sublux in relation to one another. This is a situation where the bones are not fully dislocated, but they are not aligned like they are meant to be. This will create a lot of pain on using the wrist and hand, especially at the extreme ends of motion.
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone suffering from a subluxated wrist will complain of wrist pain during almost all activities, but the pain is not enough to stop them from what they are doing. The pain began after a traumatic event involving the wrist and they have been experiencing the dull pain ever since. Oftentimes there is no associated swelling and palpation over the bones involved may or may not be tender.
Treatment:
Wrist dislocations, after they have been assessed, stabilized and determined that there is no associated damage; and wrist subluxations have been found to respond very well to conservative chiropractic care. If you or someone you know is suffering needlessly from wrist pain following a dislocation or from a subluxation, come into Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic and have Dr. Gerwig design a customized treatment protocol, without the use of drugs or surgery, that will have you on the road to living pain free today!
Tendonitis:
Background:
Tendons are the long strong attachments of a muscle to the bone that it moves. A tendonitis is classically caused by overuse activities or repetitive motion trauma that will eventually lead to microscopic trauma to the tendon of the muscle. This trauma builds up and eventually interferes with the normal use of the tendon, creating the pain. There are many different tendons that cross the wrist and can be affected with tendonitis, but the most common and the most recent has been dubbed ‘Blackberry thumb’. This is a condition affecting the abductor pollicis muscle complex which is involved with intricate movement of the thumb. As you can tell from the name it has increased in prevalence recently due peoples increased use of the blackberry phones and the miniature keyboards that are associated with the new phones. Typing on the phones is primarily done using the thumbs and when it is done excessively it will create the associated tendonitis.
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone suffering from a tendonitis of the wrist will complain of sharp pain during the offending repetitive motion followed by dull pain that lasts varying amounts depending on the extent of the damage. There may be associated minor swelling and the involved tendon will be tender to palpation.
Treatment:
Most wrist tendonitis’ have been found to respond well to conservative Chiropractic care and can remove the pain and rehabilitate the tendon to avoid future injuries. If you or someone you know is needlessly suffering from wrist pain due to a tendonitis, come into Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic and have Dr. Gerwig design a customized treatment protocol, without the use of drugs or surgery, that can have you on the road to living pain free today!
Arthritis/Degeneration:
Background:
Arthritis, specifically degenerative Arthritis, is a fairly common occurrence in the wrist joints in people who work with their hands a lot. It will also be seen years after someone has had a significant injury to their wrist (a dislocation or a broken bone). An important aspect of Degenerative Arthritis is that the cartilage joint surfaces have no blood supply to them and the way they “feed” is by movement of the joint. This movement of the joint brings in nutrients to perform normal maintenance and repair any damage to the cartilage in that joint. Usually, when I see someone in pain due to Arthritis it is the natural thing for them to stop moving the affected joint. This is the worst thing you can do because the damaged cartilage, which needs movement to heal, won’t be moved for a number of days which will lead to irreversible degenerative changes. Once arthritic changes are found in a joint the focus of treatment becomes minimizing or eliminating the pain and preventing the progression of the arthritis.
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone suffering from pain due to a degenerative arthritis in the wrist will complain of pain during the first few movements of the wrist that lessens as the wrist ‘warms up’. There will often be associated swelling and the overall range of motion of the wrist will usually be diminished.
Treatment:
Arthritis of the wrist has been shown to respond well to conservative Chiropractic care and the pain can be reduced if not completely eliminated in the majority of the cases. If you or someone you know is suffering from pain due to arthritis in the wrist, come into Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic and have Dr. Gerwig design a customized treatment protocol that can get you on the road to living pain free today!
DISCLAIMER: No individuals, including those under our active care, should use the information, resources or tools contained within to self-diagnose or self-treat any health-related condition. Diagnosis and treatment of all health conditions should only be performed by your doctor of chiropractic or other licensed health care professional. |
