Wrist pain is most often caused by repetitive motions that continuously stress the wrist joint. One of the most common forms of wrist pain comes as carpal tunnel. Carpal tunnel is characterized by numbness and tingling in the hand, wrist pain, weakened grip, and difficulty moving the fingers and hand. Typically what occurs with carpal tunnel is the soft tissues surround the wrist and most importantly the nerves, gets very tight from the overuse. The tightening of the soft tissues will in turn put pressure on the nerves and begin to cause those symptoms.  Traditionally, how carpal tunnel is addressed is with surgery. The surgeon will go in and cut the soft tissues to release the pressure on the nerves. Unfortunately, the pain and symptoms will often return after the surgery. This is due to the fact that the inflammation is still present and the nerves are still irritated. So, what can you do for carpal tunnel to avoid surgery? There are actually plenty of fantastic ways to do this!

One avenue of relief is of course chiropractic adjustments! When the bones in the wrist and had are misaligned, this will stretch those soft tissues and pull them tight. By adjusting the bones in the hand and wrist, it can return to functioning properly. Over time, the inflammation with be reduced.

A great compliment to chiropractic adjustments is acupuncture. While acupuncture cannot address structural problems as chiropractic can, it does help to relieve the symptoms. Acupuncture increases blood flow to promote healing and triggers the release of endorphins. The endorphins shut down the pain pathways to our brain and will help reduce inflammation.

If you are someone that spends a lot of time typing and on a computer, regular stretching can help immensely. It is so important to give yourself a break from continuous repetitive tasks. Taking a few minutes once an hour is all you really need. These two stretches are fantastic for the wrist!

One method we also use quite often in our office is kinesiotape. This tape will help to support the joint. It will stabilize it and help to reduce inflammation. Kinesiotape is designed to draw inflammation away and allow increased blood flow to flush it out. Here is a simple example of how we tape a wrist.

Of course, always make sure you have proper wrist support when typing and using your computer. A simple wrist support in front of your keyboard and a mouse pad with a support will help hold your wrist in a more neutral position.

Dr. Meghan