The core symptoms of Carpal tunnel syndrome include numbness, tingling, weakness, pain and/or wasting of the muscles in the hand. All this occurs along the distribution of the median nerve, which is the one that supplies the thumb-side of the hand.

Although surgery is often the choice of treatment, it is the most invasive form of treatment and is not the only treatment available. To better understand this, one needs to better understand the different causes of carpal tunnel syndrome.

The carpal tunnel is formed by an arch of four bones, the carpal bones, which form the back of the wrist. The front of the wrist is formed by the flexor retinaculum, a strong ligament which spans the arch. The tunnel thus forms between them.

The tendons that bend the fingers, and the median nerve all pass through this tunnel from the arm to the hand. What happens in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is that, for various reasons, the space in the tunnel becomes overcrowded, the nerve gets compressed, and the result is that the nerve no longer conducts signals as it should.

The palm of the hand, complete with the thumb, first three and a half fingers, and also the backs of the same fingertips are all supplied by the median nerve. The rest of the hand is covered by the ulnar nerve. Therefore Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can cause symptoms only in the thumb-side of the hand. Any symptoms on the other side are NOT Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is usually done by EMG (electromyelogram) which measures the conductivity of nerves. If the median nerve is compressed (as in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) then this will show up on the EMG test.

The EMG is done by sending a small electrical impluse from the forearm to the hand. If the current is decreased when it is picked up at the hand by the EMG probe, then the diagnosis is probably Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

The surgery for this condition would then include cutting some of the flexor retinaculum to allow less pressure on the median nerve by essentially expanding the carpal tunnel. This procedure may often help to decrease the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, but is it the only option? Absolutely not.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is commonly caused by one of two things: either the collapse of the bony arch owing to deterioration of the joints between the small carpal bones, or else swelling of the tendons which then take up more space in the narrow tunnel and so put pressure on the nerve.

Choosing the right treatment depends on knowing which of these is the cause in any particular case. However, and EMG cannot tell you that and so reliance on the EMG alone for diagnosis can result in unnecessary surgery.

If the problem is arising from tendonitis, I believe it is much better to treat the tendonitis. The way tendonitis occurs is from having too much strain or tension placed on the tendon for too long of a time.

The most common way for this to happen is to have the muscle tighten too much due to repetitive use of the muscle. Since the tendon is responsible for connecting the muscle to the bone, if the muscle tightens up, so does the tendon. This can result in the tendonitis which can cause the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Treatment for tendonitis can include stretching, pysiotherapy, ergonomics (eg typing posture), chiropractic manipulation, nutritional support etc. These are all a lot less invasive and have fewer side effects than surgery.

Surgery can certainly work. But my preference is to start with the simpler, less risky alternatives. If having tried those, things are no better, then by all means consider surgery.

Looking for some relief from carpal tunnel syndrome? Click now for more advice from Dr. Steven Trembecki, D.C. on chiropractor treatments. Feel free to grab a unique version of this article from the Uber carpal tunnel syndrome article directory