Wednesday, April 24, 2002

Carpal tunnel syndrome

The problem may not be where you think it is

Carpel tunnel syndrome is often defined by pain and weakness in the hand. Commonly, when these symptoms occur, we look to the source of injury to be activity, which often may contribute to the problem. These activities include those which require repetitive motion, such as keyboarding, needlework, or using scissors or lifting continuously.

In layman's terms, the bones of the wrist form a semi-circle which contains tendons and a nerve known as the median nerve. These tendons are responsible for helping the muscles in the arm move the hand and fingers. The median nerve has an important role in this movement. It also controls sensation of the arm, wrist and hand.

The wrist is tightly wrapped by a ligament which holds its contents in place. When compression or irritation of the nerve occurs, the result is pain, numbness, tingling or burning of the areas controlled by the nerve.

But there may be an important factor that is overlooked. This involves the fact that the median nerve and other nerves in the arm come from the neck (cervical spine). Irritation of the nerves in the neck can cause a change in sensation anywhere along the course of the nerve.

If you have had an injury that has moved bones in your neck, even slightly, out of place, nerve irritation can occur that can cause the nerve to be more sensitive than normal. Add a small amount of extra stress, and what results? Pain, numbness, burning or tingling.

The point is this: The problem may not be where the symptom is showing up. This is why treating the wrist does not always resolve the symptoms. Reducing spinal imbalances, which cause nerve irritation, is the purpose of the chiropractic spinal adjustment.

Dr. Marilyn Durden will be giving a health talk about carpal tunnel syndrome and reducing spinal imbalances Thursday, May 2, at 11 a.m. at the Durden Chiropractic Clinic, 1130 Senoia Road, Suite B-4, North Village Professional Complex, in Tyrone.