Carpal Tunnel - What Are Your Treatment Options?

If you are like millions of people who are suffering from chronic wrist pain you may be experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS as it is sometimes referred to as. This type of syndrome typically involves chronic pain and inflammation in the wrist. Daily tasks can become quite difficult for those who have this syndrome. But, there are a wide variety of treatments your doctor will advise you to try in order to relieve some, if not all of your symptoms.

First, your doctor will most likely recommend that you take an anti inflammatory medicine to relieve the pain. Many times you can buy these over the counter. They are ibuprofen, naproxen and/or acetaminophen. If these are not enough, your doctor may prescribe other types of anti inflammatory medications, or sometimes a corticosteriod injection shot. These medications are extremely effective at bringing down inflammation, making movements of the wrist more bearable. Many times with the use of medicine and changes of habits, a person with mild or moderate CTS symptoms can get back to their daily routine.

Another common type of recommendation your doctor will advise that you do is exercise for your carpal tunnel syndrome. There are a range of exercises that involve that hand and wrist. Exercising the wrist will alleviate some of the pain and inflammation that goes along with the syndrome. Practicing the exercises on a daily basis or as frequently as your doctor recommends will increase the mobility that you are able to experience.

It is quite common for those who are experiencing carpal tunnel symptoms to wear a brace. Wearing a wrist brace or splints are a great therapy supplement. Many people report that sleeping in their brace and working them on alleviates much of the numbness that is often associated with this type of syndrome. Since the brace itself applies a bit of pressure to the affected area of the wrist, this usually results in more blood flow to the nerves and surrounding areas. But, more importantly immobilizes the wrist so that the posture of the wrist can be changed. Typically doctors will recommend that patients wear their brace or splints while sleeping and doing the activity which causes the more pain during the day.

Surgery is usually the last option for patients who are experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. Therapists and surgeons like to exhaust all the options before performing a surgical procedure. And, usually mild cases are often treatable with the previously mentioned therapies. But, in some cases immobility is a result of this syndrome, making surgery the only option available to the patient. Surgery is a very effective option. This type of surgery only takes about fifteen minutes and involves a very small incision.

Treatment options will obviously vary from person to person, and case by case. And typically, doctors like to start will the least aggressive treatment and gradually move up if needed. This allows for the best use of the treatments.