Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Causes
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Real Causes
Nutritional Deficiencies Low levels of nutrients – Particularly vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) – can cause the tissue to swelling that triggers carpal tunnel syndrome .Hormonal Imbalances Low levels of Thyroid hormone can play its roll in the swelling.
Chronic Inflammation A repetitive Stress Injury - from a daily activity at work, such as typing – can create tissue-swelling inflammation.
Your Hand – Maybe one, maybe both – hurts with tingling sensations are mainly in your palm, your thumb, index and middle fingers. Those symptoms often wake you up at night and you feel you have to shake out your hands for the discomfort to go away. What’s going on?
You have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) an injury to the median nerve, which runs from the forearm to the hand. On its Way, the nerve goes through a narrow carpal tunnel, which is also filled with nine tendons; when tendons and other tissues around the nerve they swell. This can press on the median nerve, causing CTS.
What is behind the irritation? Sometimes it is caused by repetitive stress injury from performing the same action over and over again. Working on an assembly line, for example, or typing on a keyboard. A nutritional deficiency of nerve nourishing B6 can play a role. Research has shown a link between hypothyroidism and CTS.
What ever the cause a lot of people have the problem. This amounts to !0% of the population in the USA, (according to the American Academy of Neurology). The UK is lower 8% of the population, (according to NHS statistics). The ratio increases for industrial workers.
The standard medical treatment for the problem is surgery. It can be effective, but it is expensive. Not all surgery is effective . Doctors claim a high success rate, based on follow up to surgery, but it is not uncommon for the symptoms to re-occur 2 years after surgery. Some people can experience pain and discomfort following surgery.
The Good News: - If you are willing and able to stop the repetitive action, that causes CTS, you can almost always find relief without surgery.
Real Cure Regimen
Unfortunately your doctor may be unfamiliar with inexpensive non-surgical and effective treatments for CTS. In the book Dr Teitelbaum claims in almost all his patients with CTS, the problem completely resolves in 6 weeks. With the simple treatments he describes. If your doctor recommends surgery, ask if you can try these treatments first, for at least 6 weeks, it is likely you won’t need surgery.Take vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 plays a crucial roll in the health of nerves and in decreasing the swelling of the tissues that can the median nerve. Eight studies show that supplementing the diet with vitamin B6 can help relieve the symptoms of CTS. It appears reasonable to recommend vitamin B6 supplementation to people with CTS, concluded researchers from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. In the review of studies on B6 and CTS, in the journal Nutrition Reviews. More is not better with vitamin B6 Doses of over 500 milligrams a day, can aggravate nerve problems, so keep the dose to no more than 250 milligrams. After 3 months you can lower the rate to 50 milligrams a day.Supplement with Thyroid Hormone
If you have CTS, you likely benefit from this hormone, even if your lab tests for thyroid hormone levels are normal, because thyroid tests interpreted as normal are often low and low levels are a common cause of the problem.What is the link between your thyroid and your Wrist?
If your hormone levels are low, this will contribute to the tissue swelling and this can pinch the nerve, so taking B6 and thyroid hormone often decreases the swelling enough to completely relieve the pain and numbness. For more on testing for hypothyroidism, please get the book.A Treatment Recommended, in Real Cause, Real Cure – C-Trac
Although the Regimen, recommended is effective in relieving CTS I would also like to mention another non-surgical treatment, which has been shown by study to work extremely well. It is called C-Trac and is a traction device designed to stretch the transverse ligament It is somewhat similar to a blood pressure cuff It has a stiff shell which fits around the hand with a hole for the thumb. There is an inflatable pad inside the shell, which when inflated, causes the sheath around the ligaments to be stretched, causing the sheath to grow and so after a period of weeks pressure is removed from the median nerve. It is a bi-lateral device which can relieve the symptoms in either hand.In a study by doctors in the department of Physical Medicine ad Rehabilitation at St Vincent Catholic Medical Centre, New York, 19 people with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, used the C-Trac device for 5 minutes, three times a day , for 4 weeks, they had 92% less pain, 93% less tingling, 79% less numbness and no pain at night. Treatment times are 5 minutes first thing in the morning, lunch or teatime for 5 minutes when ever convenient and this can be swapped around without compromising the effectiveness of treatment, then 5 minutes, last thing at night. This is the most user friendly, of all physical treatments. C-Trac is considered a cure for CTS.
