Physical Therapy for Carpal TunnelPhysical Therapy for Carpal Tunnel

The best treatment for carpal tunnel is physical therapy. Your physical therapist will examine the cause of your symptoms, including tests that confirm carpal tunnel syndrome, and address other areas that may be contributing to the reason for your symptoms. This includes neck, shoulder, and upper back exercises to increase mobility, flexibility, and stability. In some cases, neck and upper back stiffness can cause numbness and tingling in the fingers. Exercises at the wrist include mobilizing the wrist, stretches for the forearm, strengthening any weak areas, and preventing your symptoms from returning.

What Causes Carpal Tunnel?

Carpal tunnel syndrome affects millions of people in the United States per year.  It is caused by constriction of the median nerve that travels through the wrist due to a lack of space. This compression results in numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, and middle fingers. Patients are more at risk for this with repetitive motion using their hands and wrists, such as a job requiring typing all day. You may experience pain, weakness, and tingling in the hand and up to the elbow. Your physical therapist at Baton Rouge Physical Therapy will help strengthen and stretch affected muscles and suggest modifying your activities to relieve you.

How to Treat Carpal Tunnel

Treatment for Carpel Tunnel varies on the severity of symptoms. In some cases, surgical decompression may be the best option to relieve the pressure on the median nerve. This surgery involves cutting the ligament at the base of your wrist to create more room for your nerve. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is very successfully treated by physical therapy, either without surgery or after surgery. Limiting activities that provoke numbness and pain is crucial, regardless of severity. This means people should avoid repetitive activities with the hand and wrist until their symptoms are controlled. Physical therapy is often a vital step in learning how to use the wrist and hand efficiently and reduce pain and inflammation in the area. 

Physical Therapy Solutions for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 

Your physical therapist will help find the root cause of your symptoms and recommend posture, ergonomics, and exercises for carpel tunnel to reduce your painful symptoms. If you have had numbness, tingling, or pain in your forearm or wrist, make an appointment with Baton Rouge Physical Therapy today!