With more people working on computers than ever before, carpal tunnel is becoming a big problem in today’s society. Carpal tunnel is a repetitive stress injury caused by compression of the nerves that travel down your arm and into your hand. Over time, as this pressure gets worse and worse you can develop numbness, weakness, pain, and tingling in the hand.

Carpal tunnel is often complicated by “double crush”. This means that the nerves that travel down into your hand are compressed in two or even three different areas, making the symptoms worse. The three areas where we often see compression are at the nerve root (where the nerves exit from your spine in the neck), the thoracic outlet (behind your collar bone where the nerves travel through your muscles), and the carpal tunnel (located on the palm side of your wrist). It is important to address all areas of compression to relieve symptoms of carpal tunnel and prevent further issues.

Chiropractic is incredibly helpful for carpal tunnel because we are able to address all 3 areas of compression. Specific, targeted adjustments in the neck can relieve pressure on the nerve root where it exits the spine. Adjustments coupled with targeted stretches can relieve pressure in the thoracic outlet. Finally, adjustments in the wrist free up movement to allow the nerves to glide more effectively taking pressure off them at the carpal tunnel. By relieving pressure in these 3 areas, we are able to help relieve the symptoms of carpal tunnel in a safe, effective, non-invasive way.