Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Santa Cruz,CA

I used to do an activity that had a lot of repetitive hand/wrist movement. My wrists became very painful. I went to a chiropractor and he did adjustments on my wrists and hands. It was very helpful in relieving the pain and loosening up my wrists again!!!

When mine flairs up I wear the brace all the time, day and night, till the ache goes away - usually a few days.
I also rub in some Aspercream every now and then.
Wrapping a heating pad around it can help, too.
When it feels a bit better, I'll get a strong rubber band, insert all fingers and thumb ( just the tips) inside it and press outward stretching the rubber band over and over again.
Working the muscles on the back of the hand seems to help keep the ache in the wrist away.

Hi there, I have a lot of experience with arms/wrist discomfort.

It's tough when you start to feel carpal tunnel pain, because it affects everything- computer work, cooking, holding the kids. RSI guard is a free download for your computer time & do the stretches, they really help. For the cooking, fire up the BBQ and have hubby grill (& buy pasta salad/ other sides). If you have young ones, try using a stroller or sling to help you out.

If you are interested in acupuncture, check out Ina Nadborny in the Water St medical center, she's a terrific healer.

It sounds wacky, but giving up caffeine really helped me out too. It was tough, but well worth it. Try for 2 weeks and see if it helps.

Best to you!

i second the massage. i had it pretty bad in both arms. i got one massage from my best friend's mom, who is a massage therapist. and my symptoms went away so quickly. i was wearing braces 24/7 and now i don't have to wear them anymore. the symptoms do come back, but not nearly as strong. it was amazing what the massage did for my arms.

When I was pregnant I got carpal tunnel syndrome and the doctor told me that it would go away after I delivered but it never did. I was set up to get surgery because I could hardly even hold my baby. I mentioned it to a friend and she told me that all I needed to do was get a massage. I did and it went away. I get massages on my entire body and they concentrate on my arms about every six months to keep the symptoms from ever coming back. Lots cheaper then surgery and there are always concerns with surgery for me. I hope everything gets better quick for you!! My daughter plays the violin and gets tendonitis and I also take her to get a massage and she is so amazed that the pain is gone before the session is over.

I struggled with carpal tunnel and have cleared it up. Did your doctor explain to you the cause of the symptoms? Basically, you need to reduce the swelling, which is causing your pain. The old standby treatment for swelling is RICE--Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Do all of those things, especially ICE. And definitely sleep with the brace, preferably elevating your arm on a pillow at night.
Best wishes for your recovery.

First medication should not be the solution. It won't fix it and over time it will damage your liver or other organs.

Get a chiropractic evaluation. The nerves to your hands come from your neck. You haven't been evaluated to see if nerve impingement there may be causing your pain. Chiropractic can be incredibly effective at eliminating carpal tunnel symptoms.

Before you do something as permanent and invasive as surgery try conservative means and see if chiropractic can help you.

The surgery is so easy now a days. It is instant relief, very non-invasive...hardly even a scare. In and out surgery and so worth it. Ask the doc what he thinks...maybe surgery isn't for everyone.

Good luck!

Start an Ibuprofen regimen - 100mg per hour (take 400mg every 4 hours or 600mg every 6 hours). Ibuprofen (Motrin) is an anti-inflammatory and will help keep swelling down in the carpal tunnel, reducing the pressure on the nerves.

Keep the brace on all the time, especially when sleeping, typing or driving. This keeps your hands from being bent back and stressing the median nerve. You can also do hand exercises. See a physical therapist or check YouTube for some stretching and strengthening exercises you can do.

Here's a fact sheet that has some treatments (scroll down about half way): http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_c...

Best to you! CTS is awful. It can get quite painful. Good for you seeking treatment! :)

I used to be symptomatic, but no more. A combination of Chiropractic treatments, acupuncture and wearing braces at night really worked. 10 years ago I had lost grip strength and the pain was incredible at times. I maintain my current healthy, symptom free state by routinely seeing my chiropractor (1-2 x per month). Surgery should be your last option AND if you're not suffering from true carpal tunnel, it won't work. Also, surgery is not a permanent fix. It needs to be repeated every 10-15 years. My "carpal tunnel", as diagnosed by my doctor, was really very tight muscles and impinged nerves in my back, though my wrists showed the symptoms.
Conservative treatment will take some time, about 6 months for me, but is truly worth it. Symptoms will diminish and you'll gradually feel better. Wear the braces! They are designed to keep you from moving your wrists into positions that could agitate the nerves while you sleep. If you need a couple referrals in SJ, let me know...happy to provide them.

Acupunture and I think there is a Five Branches location in Santa Cruz.

I have carpal tunnel syndrome. Oral painkillers and anti-inflammatories didn't work, so they put me in a brace. The brace didn't work, so we did cortisone injections. Those worked for a little while, then didn't work anymore, so we did surgery. It's slowly getting better.

I have had carpal tunnel for 13 years now. I started during pregnancy #2.

Here are my recommendations to avoid surgery, b/c surgery is not considered to be the best treatment. I thought that was common knowledge now. Some insurance companies won't even cover carpal tunnel surgery anymore unless other therapies have been tried and proven a failure....so lots of documentation is required.

-Continue to wear your brace(s) at night, especially if you sleep with your hands curled up. Then you'll probably wear them the rest of your life if you have this habit.

-Get PT. Seriously...they will analyze what is contributing to the carpal tunnel. It really helped me and I do very specific neck, should and wrist exercises. I've had orthopaedic docs tell me it's not related, but speaking from personal pain and rehab, it is all connected and contributes. My shoulders were slumped forward for so many years from large breasts, then I was in an accident...

-Ice your wrists to reduce swelling. There are handy wrist packs available at local drug stores. Pop them in the freezer and wear them a couple of times a day.

-Do Yoga. The poses and stretches on your hands, like Downward Dog and Plank have been hugely beneficial in strengthening my wrists and hands. If I skip Yoga for more than a couple of weeks, the tingling and numbing starts to return.

-Get accupuncuture. Can't say enough about this option.

I really understand, the shooting, numbing, pringling pain that wakes one up in the middle of the night is unbearable.

But if I take care of my hands and wrist and don't over work them...I'm good to go. I've had to give up heavy gardening over the years...the clipping was killing my hands.

The braces are JOKE. The surgery is INSTANT relief.

You'll need a nerve study done to see what damage you have. My was HORRIBLE and my LEFT hand was even worse that my right.

Today's surgery is so easy with next to NO downtime. I can't even see the incision from my surgery two years ago unlike my MIL who had it done 15 years ago.

Get things checked out. There's NO NEED to suffer!

I had to take a little pill which was some type of steroid for 7 days and it really really helped. I don't know what your diagnosis is but ask about it. If I can find the bottle, I will let you know what i took. I hope that helps. Also, try to wear the brace or another type of brace during the day too just for support.

I'm not sure how you feel about it but acupuncture! I developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome when I was pregnant and working in an office. I couldn't take a lot of things for the pain so my Dr. suggested looking into alternatives. It worked wonders!

I have it too! I was wearing the brace, but it did little to help. The pain was keeping me up at night and i was literally crying because I couldn't stand it anymore. I went to an orthopedia surgeon and they gave me a cortosone shot in the wrist- not the most enjoyable thing- but that was 2+ years ago and it hasn't bothered me since. I still wear my brace at night because I am terrified of it coming back, but it hasn't.

I'm sorry you are in such pain. Have you looked at your diet? A diet full of fruits and veggies has shown to relieve inflammation. I use Juice Plus+ to supplement what I do not get in my daily diet. The USDA recommends 7-13 servings a day. Juice Plus+ provides 17 servings of fruits and veggies. They have over 18 independent studies some of which are on inflammation in the joints. I have friends who have seen/felt a difference in their carpal tunnel after adding Juice Plus+ to their diet. It's not a vitamin or supplement. It's whole food nutrition. For more info please visit www.jillwheatonjuiceplus.com and watch the short 15 minute video.

Please let me know if you have questions.

you can get surgery :). i worked with a girl who got the carpal tunnel and she only wore the brace. she had to wear it for a few months and also she had to get the foam/gel thing that sits in front of a keyboard to help elevate her wrists and also the split keyboard to help her. she also didn't only wear the brace at night. she wore it to work during the day, too.

The brace really works, but it takes a little time. Make sure to wear it every night and also if you are doing a repetitive task like being on the computer for long periods. If it does not get better there are other options, even surgical ones, you can explore.