Hand Wrist Pain

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – It May Not Be Just in Your Wrist

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is categorized as a repetitive stress injury which affects the wrist and hand. It is caused by compression of the median nerve. The media nerve supplies innervation to the thumb, index finger, middle finger and 1/2 of the ring finger (in addition to part of the palm). Carpal Tunnel Syndrome symptoms include burning pain, numbness and tingling to the above referenced areas. Occasionally, there is also atrophy (shrinking and weakness) to some of the muscles in the hand (around the palm muscles).

As was mentioned earlier, carpal tunnel syndrome involves the median nerve. This nerve begins in the cervical (neck) region of the spine. It 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 nerve travels, it has the potential to get injured. Read more…

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Your Legs and Feet – What's the Connection?

There really is a connection between your legs, feet and your wrists. Honestly! Here’s how your body works.

Posture that is collapsing–it’s often called “forward head”posture–causes carpal tunnel syndrome. How?

Because forward head posture puts pressure on the muscles, blood vessels and nerves that “feed” your arm and hand. It strains the muscles in your upper back and neck which can refer pain into your hand and wrist–your carpal tunnel area.

“Poor” posture also causes a lot of strain and muscle imbalance in your legs. Here’s a way to tell whether your posture is collapsing:

Stand for about 5 minutes and then pay attention to your feet. If you notice that most of your weight is felt in your toes, rather than in toes and heels and the outer edge of your foot, that means you are collapsing forward. Your feet are giving you a clue! Read more…

Getting to Know Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is what happens when the median nerve is compressed at the wrist. When this nerve compresses, it causes numbness and muscle weakness in the corresponding hand. It takes time to get used to living with carpal tunnel. The symptoms can be reduced in a variety of ways. It is also a syndrome that can be prevented with help from a Braidwood hospital doctor as well.

People with carpal tunnel have symptoms that increase gradually over time. The first symptom that most people experience is numbness and a burning or tingling sensation in the thumb, index and middle fingers. This takes place at night when most people tend to bend their wrists as they sleep, therefore compressing that critical nerve. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be difficult to diagnose, so a nerve conduction study or even referral to a neurologist can help to determine the exact cause of these symptoms. Read more…

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Vitamins and Minerals – Can Supplements Help Reduce Your CTS Symptoms?

There are nutrients that your body needs. If your body doesn’t get the nutritional things that it requires, you will have one type of disease or another.

Calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron are major minerals that are required for muscle health and function. If you don’t have enough, it increases the irritability of myofascial trigger points. Trigger points are areas of soft tissue (myofascial) or muscle that cause pain elsewhere. The muscles in your neck and upper body can harbor trigger points that “fire” into your hand and wrist–your carpal tunnel.

Calcium is essential (necessary) to the muscles so they can do their best job. Magnesium and potassium are also essential because they interact with calcium and are related to muscle health and contraction.

All of the parts of your body work together. So do all the vitamins. So do all the minerals.

If you take calcium, but don’t have enough Vitamin D3 (the sunshine vitamin) you won’t be able to absorb the calcium.

Without enough magnesium and potassium, calcium won’t absorb properly. Read more…

3 Frequent Sources of Joint Pain in Elbows

Are you feeling joint pain in elbow but are uncertain about the ache’s origin? If that’s the case, then it’s crucial that you learn the exact origin of the pains. Here are a few of the most commonplace causes:

1. Elbow fractures. Sports injuries and injuries from slips often result in minor breaks in elbows. Radial Head Fractures and Olecranon Fractures are two of the most frequent types of breaks. The most recurrent type of break in elbows is the Radial Head Fracture. Having the structure of a disc, the Radial Head is a vital structure in the movement of our elbows. Small breaks in them often result after we’ve fallen on a stretched-out hand. On the other hand, the Olecranon fracture is a tiny break in our “funny bone.” This bone is located at an end of bone located in our forearm. Olecranon fractures often result from the triceps muscle chipping a piece of the bone in elbows. Read more…

RSI Claims – When Should You Make an RSI Claim?

Repetitive strain injury or ‘RSI’ is an injury which tends to happen as a result of long-term, repetitive and excessive overuse of the arm. Because the condition can lead to time off work, as well as pain and suffering, it can lead to RSI claims being made.

Symptoms include arm pain and weakness of the limb or painful area, as well as a worsening of these symptoms with further use of the arm. The pain itself will not be targeted in one spot but spread across an area of the arm.

While the arm is usually the location of an RSI injury, RSI can also occur in the hands, wrists, back or shoulders. It can also spread from the arm to other areas if conditions remain the same over a long period of time.

How common is RSI?

Results from a 2008 study showed that a remarkable 68% of workers in the UK suffer from repetitive strain injury symptoms of one form or another, meaning that the condition is extremely widespread. The increase in laptop and Blackberry use is thought to be one contributor to increased levels of RSI. Read more…