Pain in your hands and wrists can be a hassle to deal with. After all, we use our hands for nearly everything in our day-to-day life. There are many reasons why you may be experiencing pain in your wrists. However, if that pain is accompanied by numbness, tingling in your fingers and a sudden lack of strength, you may be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal tunnel syndrome, commonly known simply as carpal tunnel, is a condition that occurs when too much pressure is put on the large nerve that connects your wrists to your hands. This can happen due to an injury, but it happens most often in people who perform repetitive motions on a daily basis. Office, manufacturing, and construction workers are more at risk of developing carpal tunnel. This is due to the repetitive motions of typing, operating machinery and using power tools. Many people use surgery to treat carpal tunnel. But often, the condition can also be treated successfully with an effective physical therapy plan.
How can a physical therapist help treat carpal tunnel syndrome without surgery?
A physical therapist can perform an assessment on the hands and wrists to confirm a carpal tunnel diagnosis. Additionally, your therapist can craft an individualized therapy plan that includes proven treatment methods, like manual therapy and therapeutic exercises. Treating carpal tunnel without surgery can have many benefits. Some of the benefits of physical therapy for carpal tunnel patients include:
- Increased hand function — Carpal tunnel patients often experience numbness that makes it difficult to perform simple actions, such as picking up a pencil. Therapeutic exercises may be prescribed by your physical therapist to help you improve your hand function.
- Improved grip strength — Strengthening exercises, such as using a rubber ball or other aid, are designed to give you a stronger grip. This also helps to strengthen the muscles in your wrists, making it less likely that you will have carpal tunnel symptoms in the future.
- Decreased pain — Wrist pain is one of the more common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Manual therapy techniques can help to ease the pain in your hands and wrists, as well as restore your full range of movement.
Let the experts at Peak Performance guide your carpal tunnel treatment
Whether you want to treat the symptoms of carpal tunnel without surgery, or you want to speed your recovery after carpal tunnel surgery, Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy is here to help.
Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
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