painmanagement85Contacts in the network : Myspace (no) , Facebook (no) |
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatments (2015-04-25)
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that affects the hand and wrist. For patients who have this condition, the median nerve experiences a great deal of pressure. This nerve is in the wrist and receives sensations from the thumb, index and middle fingers. For someone with carpal tunnel syndrome, they will most likely feel tingling and pain in the thumb, middle and index fingers.
There are many different causes of carpal tunnel syndrome. Factors that contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome include obesity, pregnancy and diabetes. It can also be caused by injury to the wrist, arthritis and hypothyroidism.
What are symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome? Those suffering from this condition might experience numbness, a weakened hand grip, and shooting pain from the wrist to the hand. When a patient experiences these symptoms, a pain management doctors in San Antonio may perform several tests to determine if you have carpal tunnel syndrome including wrist x-rays. Wrist x-rays are specifically performed to determine if the pain is caused by carpal tunnel or arthritis.
Once a San Antonio pain management clinic determines that you have carpal tunnel syndrome, there are several treatments that we may recommend. The first treatment may include some at-home therapy such as avoiding activities that are causing the pain or resting your wrist for longer periods of time during those activities. A pain management doctor may also recommend wearing a brace or splint on the wrist while doing these activities. Other at-home treatments include icing your wrist for approximately 10 minutes, a couple of times per hour.
The San Antonio pain management doctors may also recommend pain medication. This medication can be a form of anti-inflammatory that will reduce swelling or pain. If pain medication management does not work, physical therapy will be suggested.
Physical therapy will include various stretching and motion exercises. These are used to strengthen the muscles in the wrist and decrease the inflammation and pressure on the median nerve.
Another common treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome is steroid injections. These injections are used to help reduce the inflammation and alleviate your pain. Patients may often need several injections in order to find relief.
It is important, that once you start to experience symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, you start doing at-home treatments and seek the help of a pain management doctor in San Antonio. If carpal tunnel is treated quickly, you reduce the risk of long-term damage to the median nerve.
For a diagnosis and treatment, you should seek the assistance of a San Antonio pain management doctor. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, visit our website at painmanagementsanantonio.com or call 210-202-4030.
Become a fan