Carpal Tunnel Treatment in West Omaha

Everyone needs a hand to help them overcome a painful challenge from time to time. In fact, if you suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, a functioning hand may be exactly what you're missing. This impingement of the wrist's median nerve spells serious trouble for the most commonly-used digits of the hand, causing you to experience pain, loss of sensation, or even loss of muscle strength.

Since most of us depend on our hands to perform countless everyday tasks, from sports activities to essential work, you're probably looking for the most effective care possible that doesn't involve invasive surgery. Here at Kosak Chiropractic and Acupuncture, our West Omaha carpal tunnel doctor can determine the cause of that nerve impingement and relieve it through non-surgical means.

Facts About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

When you feel your wrist, you'll encounter a set of carpal bones on the outer side and a softer surface on the inner side. That softer surface is where the carpal tunnel lies. This narrow space is surrounded by tendon sheaths and ligaments instead of bones. It serves as a conduit, not only for the connective tissues that attach the wrist to the arm but also for certain major nerves.

One of these nerves, the median nerve, sends and receives both sensations and motor commands between the brain and the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and part of the ring finger.

When the space within the carpal tunnel grows too narrow for any reason, the surrounding tissues may squeeze the median nerve until neural signals can no longer pass through it correctly or completely. This impairment can lead to some alarming symptoms such as:

• Burning pain in the wrist or forearm
• Pain, tingling, "electric shocks," or numbness in the hand, thumb, or first three fingers
• Loss of muscular strength and coordination in the hand and fingers
• Shooting pain in the hands and wrists
• Hand or wrist weakness

Symptoms may occur gradually at first and then intensify until you have trouble buttoning shirts, writing, typing, using a computer mouse, playing an instrument, holding a paintbrush, or performing other activities that require manual dexterity. This is the point where many sufferers realize that their condition requires the attention of an West Omaha carpal tunnel doctor.

Why does carpal tunnel syndrome occur at all?

Specifically, carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that affects the hands, wrists, and sometimes the lower arms as well. This condition occurs when the median nerve, which runs through each hand and wrist, becomes pinched or compressed. Carpal tunnel syndrome can affect one or both hands and is often caused by repetitive motions of the hands over a long period of time. As such, those who work extensively with their hands, such as those working computer desk jobs, are more prone to developing this condition.

It only takes a small amount of tissue inflammation to produce swelling -- swelling that can make all the difference in the compact space of the carpal tunnel. Constant overuse of the hand or wrist (as is common for anyone who performs the same manual tasks over and over) can create a state of chronic muscle or tendon inflammation that presses against the median nerve.

People who sleep on their wrists at night may give themselves a case of carpal tunnel without realizing what they're doing. Some people are more prone to the problem than others simply because they were born with unusually narrow carpal tunnel, or because misalignment of the wrist bones has narrowed that space.

It's worth noting that the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can be mimicked by other underlying musculoskeletal problems. For instance, since the median nerve branches off of a major nerve root in the cervical spine, compression of that nerve root could be producing your hand pain or wrist pain. (Nerve compression that occurs between the collarbone and first rib is called thoracic outlet syndrome.)

Natural Relief for Wrist Pain, Hand Pain, and Other Symptoms

Whatever the reason for your hand pain, wrist pain, or other carpal tunnel symptoms, Kosak Chiropractic and Acupuncture can get to the bottom of it. Our West Omaha chiropractor, Dr. Kosak, can examine your wrist bones and tissues for signs of swelling or misalignment.

We can also evaluate your spinal alignment to check for any indications that your symptoms are originating from higher up the neural pathway. Once we have diagnosed a case of carpal tunnel, we can offer the right mix of carpal tunnel treatment in West Omaha and methods to help you overcome the problem.

Surgery has long been an accepted means of treating carpal tunnel syndrome. The usual procedure involves opening up the wrist and cutting the transverse carpal ligament. As popular as this surgery is, recovery can easily require 8 weeks of downtime, while debilitating symptoms may linger even after a successful procedure.

Our West Omaha chiropractor can ease your symptoms simply by correcting the positions of your wrist bones and/or administering acupuncture. Acupuncture not only enhances blood flow to the wrist, but it also appears to "re-map" how the brain perceives pain signals from this part of the body.

How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help

If you're experiencing symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, we recommend you schedule an appointment with your Chiropractor. The same applies if you have already been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome by your doctor and have been told that you may need surgery or other extensive treatment to help you find relief.

Chiropractic treatment utilizes holistic methods and techniques to help you find relief from your carpal tunnel syndromes. What many people with carpal tunnel don't realize is that imbalances along the spinal column can actually aggravate carpal tunnel symptoms by creating excessive pressure on the median nerve.

With chiropractic treatment in the form of spinal adjustment, which focuses on correcting poor alignment in the spine, it is possible to treat these imbalances. As a result, you may be able to find relief from your carpal tunnel symptoms both on an immediate and long-term basis.

Schedule an Appointment With Our West Omaha Chiropractor

If you're experiencing carpal tunnel symptoms or would like to explore alternatives to invasive treatment options your doctor has suggested, our West Omaha Chiropractor would love to meet with you. Schedule your appointment with Kosak Chiropractic and Acupuncture by giving us a call at (402) 964-0300 . We look forward to being able to serve you!