How Physiotherapy Can Help Manage Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that affects around 3%-5% of the population and generally affects women more than men. This syndrome affects the fingers therefore drastically impairing your ability to perform routine tasks.

Causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Anything that bothers or stresses the median nerve in the carpal tunnel area can lead to carpal tunnel. However, there are lot of other reasons which may contribute towards causing a condition like carpal tunnel syndrome. They are:

1. Obesity- Being overweight is considered to be one of the major causes of carpal tunnel since all that extra fat puts a lot of pressure on your bones, which puts pressure on the nerve.
2. Gender- Carpal tunnel is generally more common in women because the size of women’s carpal tunnels are smaller than men. 
3. Anatomical reasons- Arthritis or bone dislocation and fracture can lead to modification of the space in the carpal tunnel area. This puts intense pressure on the median nerve and also leads to deformation of the wrist bone.
4. Nerve conditions- Conditions such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome because they mainly affect and damage the nerves, which means it also affects the median nerve where the carpal tunnel is located.
5. Medical conditions- Several medical conditions such as kidney damage or kidney failure, hypothyroid or hyperthyroid and menopause can also cause carpal tunnel syndrome.
6. Inflammation- Inflammation is one of the biggest reasons of carpal tunnel. Rheumatoid arthritis, which is directly caused by inflammation can damage the tendons in your wrist and put a lot of pressure on your median nerve leading to carpal tunnel
7. Body fluids imbalance- As it is commonly known, menopause and pregnancy can cause a lot of fluid retention in the body which tends to aggravate the median nerve in which the carpal tunnel is located.

Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome doesn’t happen overnight, it is more of a gradual condition. The common symptoms of carpal tunnel are:

1. Loss of strength in arm- This condition can cause a lot of weakness in your arms which may lead to you dropping things. The median nerve in which the carpal tunnel is located regulates and controls the thumbs pinching muscles and when these muscles become weak, it causes you to momentarily lose your motor skills.
2. Numbness and prickling sensation- In carpal tunnel syndrome, except for the little finger all the other fingers are affected i.e. ring finger, middle finger, index finger and the thumb. Carpal tunnel patients generally experience an electric shock-like sensation in their fingers while holding things and this pain travels from the wrist to the hand. This sensation can even cause you to come awake at night.
3. Pain and burning that travels up your arm
4. Wrist pain at night that interferes with sleep

How can physiotherapy help with carpal tunnel syndrome?
Physiotherapy is a very good idea for dealing with a condition like carpal tunnel syndrome because it takes into account the whole problem and tries to solve it without involving getting into medications.
Once your physiotherapist has understood where the pain is and from where it is originating, he will treat you and guide you in such a way that will work towards lessening the strain on your median nerve. Some of the most useful ways of fighting carpal tunnel are:

1. Splints and braces- The use of splints and braces because it keeps your hands in a stable and straight position and prevents too much pressure on them. In case your physiotherapist feels that your work is aggravating your condition, he will ask you to stop putting excessive pressure on your body especially your hands.
2. TENS- TENS is a type of a machine which stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Muscle Stimulation. This machine helps in reducing the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome.
3. Ultrasound- Ultrasound therapy helps in countering the pain of carpal tunnel by applying an instrument on the affected area and releasing sound waves which are then absorbed by the tissues. This helps in the reduction of disability and pain.
4. Laser- Cold laser also known as low level laser therapy is a highly effective and painless form of treatment which helps in decreasing pain and inflammation and also helps in reinstituting healthy tissue. The laser treatment also rehabilitates the body’s normal functioning by repairing the affected tissues and cells and also increases blood circulation and all this in combination helps in getting rid of the pain.

Physiotherapy is a universally acknowledged and safe form of treatment when it comes to bone-related ailments. This type of treatment doesn’t just help you with your condition, but it also saves a lot of your money and time when compared to other modes of treatments.