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It happens when excessive pressure is placed on the median nerve of the hand as it travels through the wrist. If left untreated, carpal tunnel can cause permanent issues with the function of your hand.
But how can you recognize it? In this blog from Vidan Family Chiropractic, we’ll discuss a few of the most common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, and how you can recognize it and get carpal tunnel treatment in St. Louis.
If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you may experience tingling, burning, pain, or numbness in your fingers, particularly the thumb, pointer, middle, and ring fingers. This may happen during the day, or even wake you up at night.
Throughout the day, you may also experience occasional shock-like sensations that jolt and radiate through your middle, pointer, and ring fingers, as well as your thumb. These can happen intermittently at any time.
This set of symptoms helps make carpal tunnel distinct from other repetitive stress injuries that can affect the hand, such as tendinitis (tendon inflammation) and De Quervain’s tenosynovitis. These other conditions do not typically cause numbness, tingling, or burning sensations, or shock-like sensations.
Carpal tunnel can cause a lot of pain and discomfort, and make it hard to use your hand. As your carpal tunnel syndrome worsens, your pain and discomfort may not be contained to your hand and wrist. It can travel through your forearm and toward your shoulder. If you notice serious hand, wrist, forearm, and/or shoulder pain, this could indicate carpal tunnel.
Carpal tunnel syndrome makes it hard to grasp things tightly, and may make it harder to perform fine motor movements like buttoning shirts, putting in contact lenses, tying shoes, and other such things. If you notice that your hands feel weak and you’re having trouble with everyday tasks, this could be due to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Since carpal tunnel causes weakness and numbness of the hands, you may also find yourself dropping things, knocking objects over, and having other such difficulties. You may also not be as aware of where your hand is in space, which can contribute to clumsiness and dropping objects.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is serious, but it can be treated with the proper intervention, such as wearing a splint, exercises to help with recovery, and avoiding certain activities that aggravate the condition.
But if you don't get treatment, your symptoms will only get worse, and you could have long-term difficulties with the use of your hands. So don’t wait. Contact a St. Louis chiropractor at Vidan Family Chiropractic to learn more about carpal tunnel syndrome, get diagnosed, and get the help you need to relieve your pain. Give us a call at (314) 210-6556, or contact us online if you have any questions.
