Do you feel pain with repetitive movements of your hands? Most probably, this is due to carpal tunnel syndrome. The median nerve moves on the ventral side of the wrist canal, where it gets entangled by adjacent tissues. As a result, its mobility decreases and causes hand discomfort.
It is one of the worst pain experienced by someone. As CTS targets the sensory fibers of the median nerve, the pincer grip is also affected. Other symptoms include numbness, tingling sensation, and muscle weakness involving the first three fingers.
Manual therapy plays a significant role in the decompression of the median nerve within the wrist canal. Tension in muscles can be released by stress ball hand, and hand strengthening is used to increase the strength of hand muscles.
What is the best treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome?
For carpal tunnel syndrome, there are two treatment options available. One is conservative treatment, and the second one is surgical repair. If the disease is recognized early, then conventional treatment is best. It includes:
Wrist splinting
Splinting or bracing the wrist helps to alleviate symptoms. When you hold your wrist still with the help of a splint, numbness and tingling sensation decrease, so it is recommended to wear a splint at night to ease symptoms.
Manual therapy
Manual therapy is a preferable method to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. It includes soft tissue release, trigger point release, nerve, and tendon gliding. There are increased chances of recovery from manual therapy.
Medication
You can use NSAIDs such as ibuprofen to get rid of irritating pain. But this pain relief is for the short term. However, this does not help to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. You can also use oral corticosteroids for pain.
Local injection
Corticosteroid injections like cortisone are used to get relief from carpal tunnel syndrome. The local injection reduces swelling and inflammation, ultimately releasing pressure on the median nerve.
Can manual therapies help with CTS?
Manual therapy is a non-invasive, budget-friendly, and long-term effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome. This type of therapy is introduced to ease pain and improves joint mobility.
It helps in the following ways:
It modulates the pain in the hand, arm, and shoulder
It increases the joints mobility and range of motion of stiff joints of the hand
It helps in tissue repairing
It improves tissue stability and extensibility
You can reduce soft-tissue inflammation
It eases muscle tension
Manual Therapy Induces relaxation
It facilitates hand movement and exercises therapy
It has different techniques, and each method has its unique role. Let's discuss each one individually.
Joint mobilization and manipulation
Joint mobilization is the skilled passive movements that vary in amplitude and intensity. Whereas joint manipulation is a high velocity, low amplitude passive activities apply on a joint. Their targets are to enhance the mobility of wrist joints in CTS.
Soft tissue therapy
One of the best types is soft tissue massage. Massaging the sore area helps to ease pain and reduce inflammation. We can use the following types of massage therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Myofascial Release
Myofascial release helps to relax all the tension in the fascia. It breaks adhesion around the flexor tendon, resulting in decreased inflammation and swelling of the tendon and nerve.
Trigger point release
The trigger point release therapy aims to ease all the knots in the shoulder and arm of the affected side. This therapy also helps to reduce pain, stiffness, and swelling of the target area.
Nerve gliding
Nerve gliding is one of the finest techniques for carpal tunnel syndrome. In this technique, the irritating nerve is stretched gently. It helps to reduce pain, and, as a result, the range of motion increases.
Squeezing/Strengthening Exercises
In carpal tunnel syndrome, the muscles of the hand become weak. So strengthening exercises play a significant role in regaining strength. You can use stress ball hand and hand strengtheners for this purpose.
Can manual therapy help with chronic traumatic stress disorder?
Manual therapy plays a significant role in reducing chronic traumatic stress disorder. This includes pain, stress, depression, and anxiety. We can use different massaging techniques and soft tissue mobilization to relieve stress and anxiety.
During soft tissue release, trigger points and tightness in the muscles and tissues are targeted. This way, pain can be alleviated with greater ease that affects the patient. When the pain decreases, anxiety and stress also reduce.
This technique also helps make patients comfortable and relaxed, which has many positive impacts. You can enjoy better sleep due to less pain or experience no more tingling sensation or numbness.
What is the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is most commonly affected in America. Carpal tunnel syndrome has a per year incidence of 1 to 3 per 1000, with a prevalence of 50 cases per 1000. The incidence and prevalence rate of carpal tunnel syndrome is the same in all other developed countries.
Its cases vary according to race, age, and gender. Have a look
Race
Carpal tunnel syndrome most commonly affects the white. White has two to three times more prevalence as compared to Blacks.
Age
Carpal tunnel syndrome mainly targets the age of 40 to 60. They have weak muscles and bones, so they can quickly become CTS victims.
Gender
Carpal tunnel syndrome has a higher incidence rate in females. Women are ten times more suspicious of it as compared to men.
Final Verdict
Manual therapy has a significant role in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. By using soft tissue mobilization and strengthening techniques, CTS can be cured. You can also prevent stress and anxiety related to chronic traumatic disorders with the help of manual therapy.
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