Remedies To Reduce Carpal Tunnel Pain
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a condition that affects around 1% of people of working age. In fact, it is the most common cause of hand pain in manual workers.
Fortunately, there are currently several treatment options that help reduce this pain. Are you interested in knowing them? Discover 7 remedies in the following space.
What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
The American Family Physician medical journal defines carpal tunnel syndrome as “the most common entrapment neuropathy of the upper extremity.”
In fact, it corresponds to 90% of all neuropathies. It is a condition that is generated when there is compression and irritation of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel in the wrist.
Carpal tunnel symptoms
This ailment, considered occupational, is more frequent in women, especially those over 40 years of age. Its clinical manifestations include the following:
- Tingling in the wrist or hand
- Pain in the area.
- Numbness
- Weakness to hold objects such as a glass.
- Stiffness of the fingers, especially thumb, index and middle.
- Feeling of heat in the fingers.
Medical diagnosis is very important, since pain can have different origins and levels of severity. In fact, in certain cases it is necessary to do a surgical intervention. Therefore, although the following remedies can help relieve pain, it is best to consult.
Remedies to reduce carpal tunnel pain
Carpal tunnel pain usually starts out slow and gradual. Also, at first it can affect only one hand and, later, spread to both. According to a study published in Frontiers in Medicine, non-surgical treatment for this condition is still a matter of debate and the results are controversial.
Despite this, in most countries it is usually recommended before trying surgical alternatives. In general, remedies for this condition include options such as night splints, steroid injection, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, yoga, among other therapeutic options.
Night splints
Carpal tunnel pain can cause sleep interruptions. Therefore, it is advisable to opt for the use of night splints. While they are not devices to cure this problem, they are useful to help control symptoms, as detailed in a publication in the Cochrane Library .
For greater comfort, the patient should try various sizes and types of splints from those sold in pharmacies or specialized stores. There are no reported adverse effects, but its daily use is not recommended.
Steroid injection
According to information published in The American Journal of Surgery , steroid injections provide temporary relief from pain and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome in 70% of cases , up to a month after the injection. However, after this time, the symptoms tend to reappear.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
In most cases, carpal tunnel pain relief treatment includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. In general, they help reduce inflammation and provide temporary pain relief, as detailed in Canadian Family Physician .
Yoga
Although the evidence is still limited, the practice of yoga has been linked to benefits in relieving pain caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact, in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association , yoga was superior to other therapeutic options such as splints.
See your doctor for treatment
As we mentioned, there are many other therapeutic options that contribute to combat this ailment. However, the choice between one and the other depends on the characteristics of each case. Therefore, it is important to consult your doctor and follow his recommendations.
