HEP: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Patient Education
What’s going on?
Sometimes the nerve that runs through your wrist can become inflamed and painful.
This can be caused by the position of your wrist during your work or recreational activities.
Positions that bend the wrist back or forward for too long can cause pressure on the nerve.
Overuse of the hands and the fingers with manual repetitive tasks or holding tools that have lots of vibration can increase your risk.
If your pain is waking you up at night, it may be a result of how you bend your wrist while you are sleeping.
How long will it take?
Depending on the severity of your condition, it can take anywhere from eight weeks to six months.
Nerves typically heal slower, but we know they can heal!
How will we treat your condition at IHSM?
At IHSM, a doctor of physical therapy will perform a detailed physical examination of how to move and all the structures that could be contributing to your pain; including the nerves, joints, and muscles.
Your therapist will assess what you do for work and suggest modifications to optimize your work in environment.
This includes improving your posture, work set up (ergonomics) and strength.
Your therapist will show you positions of your wrist to avoid during your daily activities.
Different types of mobilizations will be used to improve the space where the nerve travels through your wrist.
Exercises will be given to you to improve the health of your irritated nerves.
Modalities such as acupuncture, or electrical stimulation may also be used to control the pain in your wrist.
What can you do to help yourself?
Use a neutral wrist splint during the day and at night temporarily.
Avoid repetitive gripping and twisting.
Reduce your work activities that you know that might have led to the symptoms, this is an overuse problem after all.
Perform the exercises that your therapist has given you.
Maintain proper posture as much as possible.
Instructions:
You may do all of these exercises right away.
About IHSM
Integrative Health and Sports Medicine, LLC is a one-stop health and wellness center. Our mission is to restore our patients to a healthy, pain-free, and productive life. By combining orthopedic physical therapy techniques, sports medicine, acupuncture, and Chinese medicine, we are able to treat conditions and achieve results in cases that have not responded well to modern Western medicine.
We are located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Please email us at info@integrativesports.com to schedule a consultation and let us help you on your journey to optimal health.
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