Mahler Family Chiropractic Center

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) has become one of the most widespread occupational health problems we face today. It affects millions of people a year, and with our growing reliance on computers there seems to be no end in sight. The syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve. The median nerve innervates the thumb, index finger, middle finger and 1/2 of the ring finger (in addition to part of the palm). Pressure on this nerve can be caused by an injury or sustained use from common activities like typing, chopping, hammering, or pushing. Symptoms of CTS range from wrist pain, numbness, tingling, burning, weakness or loss of grip strength, and loss of sleep due to discomfort.

The symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome include burning pain, numbness, and tingling int the wrist, hands, and fingers. Occasionally, there is also atrophy (shrinking and weakness) to some of the muscles in the hand. As was mentioned earlier, carpal tunnel syndrome involves the median nerve. The median nerve begins in the cervical (neck) region of the spine and then travels down to the armpit (where the brachial plexus is - a complex web of nerves). From there, the media nerve travels down the arm, past the elbow, into the forearm and then into the wrist, hand and fingers. Anywhere along the path that the median nerve travels, it has the potential to get injured.

When a peripheral nerve such as the median nerve gets compressed or crushed in two or more areas, that is called a "double crush syndrome" or a "double crush injury". This condition was first described in a British medical journal called the Lancet (in 1973).


The three most common areas for the median nerve to get compressed are:

1) In the neck - (especially after a whiplash injury).
2) In the forearm (especially around the "pronator teres" muscle, as the median nerve runs through the belly of the pronator teres, and when that muscle goes into spasm, it crushes the nerve.
3) In the carpal tunnel itself (which is a tunnel in the wrist that contains nine flexor tendons and the median nerve). When the flexor tendons are irritated, they become inflamed and swell up, and in doing so, crush the little median nerve which also runs through the same pathway. The medical approach to treating carpal tunnel syndrome includes pain pills, steroid injections and surgery. All of these have a rather poor track record. The drugs don't fix anything, they just mask symptoms. You may buy some time, but ultimately it's going to catch up to you. And the surgery, in addition to having a poor success rate (57% of all surgeries fail - according to the research), there's also a risk of scar tissue formation, wrist instability and other long term problems.

We offer a unique approach to treating carpal tunnel syndrome. Our methods address ALL areas of potential involvement. We take the pressure off the nerve, and use cold laser to reduce inflammation so you can finally get permanent relief! Additionally our approach is safe. No toxic drugs and no risky invasive surgery. To see what we can do to help you, call us to schedule a free no-obligation consultation.