The carpal tunnel is the narrow passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand that houses the median nerves and tendons. Carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS occurs when the median nerve running from the forearm into the hand becomes compressed at the wrist. This can happen when thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling causes narrowing of the tunnel. The resulting pressure causes pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist that radiates up the arm.
Women are usually more at risk to develop this condition, mostly because of a smaller carpal tunnel. Other risk factors include diabetes, Lyme disease, rubella, pregnancy and menopause. Industries such as manufacturing, sewing, finishing, cleaning and meat packing compound the risk. According to the Mayo Clinic, CTS is three times more common among assemblers than among data-entry personnel.
In severe cases, surgery can reduce the pressure on the carpal tunnel. A less extreme option may be massage therapy. Specifically, Swedish massage and passive stretches can slow the progression in moderate cases.
Massage therapy may be a practical conservative intervention for compression neuropathies, such as CTS, although additional research is needed. It is noted that incorporating massage therapy into day-to-day life can prevent work-related CTS. A qualified therapist can ease the tight, irritated muscles in the affected arm, wrist and hand. They may also do passive stretches to the affected muscles. As well therapists may include acupressure to the back, neck and shoulders to treat any trigger points that may be referring pain down into the affected areas.
Prevention
By combining self-massage and follow-up treatments with a therapist, many of the problems can be prevented, or at least minimized. Your massage therapist can reinforce proper workplace posture and ergonomics, as well as an exercise routine (stretching and strengthening) can help protect your body from the wear and tear of your occupation.
Laser
Another approach may be the cold laser. Also used in sports therapies, it may speed recovery and has no known negative side effects. It's safe, non-toxic and easy to use.
Manual Therapies
Non-invasive approaches may include rest, modification of physical behaviors, splinting, nerve gliding exercises, manual therapy techniques and anti-inflammatory medications.
Using an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen can be effective as well for controlling symptoms. Pain relievers like paracetamol will only mask the pain, and only an anti-inflammatory will affect inflammation. Non-steroidal inflammatory medications theoretically can treat the root swelling and thus the source of the problem. Oral steroids (prednisone) do the same, but are generally not used for this purpose because of significant side effects. The most common complications associated with long-term use of anti-inflammatory medications are gastrointestinal irritation and bleeding. Also, some anti-inflammatory medication have been linked to heart complications. Use of anti-inflammatory medication for chronic, long-term pain should be done with doctor supervision.
