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Conventional
medicine is not effectively solving the problem
Treating
the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome—but overlooking the cause
The
standard treatments for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome—and their shortcomings
Looking beyond the
obvious—It's not "All in the wrist"
A
non-surgical, drugless, and gimmick-free alternative
Get
help from a practitioner who has himself overcome a serious RSI
The
Conventional Medical Approach To Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Is Failing To
Effectively Solve The Problem
The current
medical/surgical/pharmacological approach to this epidemic problem is
largely failing us, demonstrated by the fact that the typical Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome injury results in 30 lost workdays¹ (longer even, than
the recovery time for an amputation,¹ amazingly), costs $30,000 in
medical treatments and lost wages,¹ and more than half the time ends in
some degree of permanent disability.²
Essentially, the
average person diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome will be out of work
for 6 weeks¹, and will face a worse than 50/50 chance of becoming
permanently disabled to some extent.² These are disconcerting
statistics.
Treating
The Symptoms—Overlooking The Cause—What's Wrong With This Picture?
If you were
awakened in the middle of the night by your fire alarm, and found your
house very hot and full of smoke, you would naturally call the fire
department, and would expect them to find and extinguish the fire...
But what if all
the fire firefighters did when they arrived was to disconnect the alarm,
open all the windows, and blow all the heat and smoke out of the house?
What if they left you with a fire still smoldering in your basement,
content that they had solved the problem by removing all the external
signs of it?
In dealing with
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, that is unfortunately how the allopathic medical
system typically functions—by numbing the pain with painkillers
(disconnecting the alarm), suppressing the inflammation process with
anti-inflammatory drugs (blowing away the heat and smoke), and
overlooking the real problem, the injury itself (the fire).
The
Standard Medical Options—And Their Shortcomings
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Bracing or
"splinting": |
The reasoning
behind the use of these devices appears to be sound at first: to
stabilize the injured area as it heals. This logical sounding
argument is flawed, however, for several reasons.
First of all,
although fixation is essential to the proper repair of broken bones,
it detrimental to muscular healing. Muscles need movement, without
it they atrophy or "shrink."
Secondly,
braces also restrict the flow of blood to the area, blood which is
carrying oxygen, and nutrients necessary for the repair of the
injured tissues.
Lastly, by
completely restricting movement in one area, these devices tend to
overwork the muscles in the adjoining areas; a problem in the wrist
becomes a problem in the elbow or the shoulder.
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Pain and anti-inflammatory
medications: |
Pain,
inflammation, and swelling are all symptoms of an injury. Drugs only
suppress the symptoms, they do not actually help to heal the injury.
In fact, by
interfering with the body's natural responses, and inhibiting
circulation to the injured area, drugs actually slow down the
healing process.
Some of the
stronger anti-inflammatories are also notorious for serious
gastro-intestinal side effects including nausea, stomach pain, and
even ulcers.
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Surgery:
The surgical
procedure involves making a small incision in the wrist, to
relieve the pressure in the Carpal Tunnel.
How can this
be anything more than a temporary fix, considering that it doesn't
address the causative factors that lead to the swelling and
pressure in the first place?
The swelling
is just as likely to reoccur, and all too often does—One's pants
become uncomfortably tight. Does buying a bigger pair of pants
permanently solve the problem if one continues to gain weight?
Surgery, as
an option to relieve pain caused by muscular inflammation and
swelling, begs for serious reconsideration.
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Looking
Beyond The Obvious—It's Not "All In The Wrist"
The Carpal Tunnel
is the obvious site of the most distress, and where most approaches
fixate their attention, but we need to look beyond the obvious to the
deeper causes of the problem.
The injury
actually begins in the powerful muscles of the forearm that control the
motions of the wrist and hand. The strain from repeatedly performing a
task, like typing, using a mouse, or scanning groceries, causes tiny
tears in these muscles. It's a form of "micro-trauma" that
happens insidiously over a long period of time.
On the surface,
this type of injury seems very different from a sudden violent injury
like a sprain or fracture—the nervous system however, makes no
distinction.
The nervous system
reacts to the tiny tears in the muscle tissues the same way it reacts to
a severe injury, it initiates the inflammation process and shortens the
length of the injured muscles.
This is the
typically overlooked, true cause of the chain reaction leading to
swelling in the carpal tunnel, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
The Carpal Tunnel
is a passageway in the palm side of the wrist, through which nine
tendons and a nerve, (the median) pass from the forearm to the hand. The
situation turns very serious there, when the tendons (and their synovial
sheaths or "casings") start to become inflamed and swell.
Normally these
tendons glide easily in their protective sheaths, but this delicate
balance is easily upset by the increased tension from the injured
muscles, to which they are attached.
Eventually, the
pressure from the swelling tendon sheaths builds up in the limited space
of the Carpal Tunnel to the point where it affects the median nerve. The
nerve suffers from a lack of oxygen, and the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome begin: pain, tingling, numbness, and loss of hand strength.
A certain amount
of local friction and irritation in the Carpal Tunnel is certainly
involved, and this is where most conventional efforts are focused, but
it is the constant irritation from the shortened, injured forearm
muscles that prevents those efforts from being largely successful.
Soft Tissue
Release: A Non-Surgical, Drugless, And Gimmick-Free Alternative
Soft
Tissue Release addresses the cause of the problem at its root, by
normalizing the muscles of the forearm. Once again, it is the
microscopic injury to these muscles that sets off the chain reaction
leading to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
In truth, Soft
Tissue Release is not a treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it is a
treatment for muscular
injuries and imbalances. The Carpal Tunnel area is virtually
ignored, in favor of releasing the muscles—that become the
tendons—which pass through the Carpal Tunnel.
It is a common
sense, holistic approach, which views the local symptoms as part of a
larger pattern of imbalance. It is also a treatment that can also be
done preventatively, at the first sign of trouble, or on an ongoing
basis for those who are at high risk.
Get
Help From A Practitioner Who Has Himself Overcome A Serious Repetitive
Strain Injury
Dear CTS sufferer,
How
would it feel to finally have the support of someone who knows
"firsthand" what it's like to have a bizarre Repetitive
Strain Injury that defies conventional forms of treatment—and who
knows how to overcome and stay free from it.
Ten
years ago I developed a Repetitive Strain Injury very similar to
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Extensor Tenosynovitis, which is basically
the same problem on the opposite side of the wrist. It nearly put an
end to my career as a Bodytherapist before I permanently resolved
it.
(Visit
the About the therapist page,
if you want to read the full story.)
If you
live here in the San Francisco Bay Area, I invite you to give me a
call: Tell me about your problem, and I will let you know if I think
I can help.
You can
reach my Corte Madera clinic by calling 415-927-7565.
If you
have already decided that you would like to come in for a session,
you can request a specific time right now by using the Schedule
an appointment page.
And
please feel free to email
me if you have any questions.
I look
forward to talking with you.
Allen Willette
¹BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
²CWCI (California Workers' Compensation Institute)
( This material is for informational
purposes and does not constitute
medical advice.)
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