Has your doctor recommended surgery for your hand and wrist pain? Do you want to explore other options before going the surgery route? After all, carpal tunnel surgery can leave you unable to use your hand for up 12 weeks!
There may be other solutions.
Ergonomic workstation – carpal tunnel is a repetitive stress injury. It’s essentially a pinched nerve running down your forearm and into your hand. It’s aggravated by slumping and looking down for long periods. Check your posture. Rounded shoulders and upper back are typical of hours at the computer.
If you’re hunched over your computer all day, it can lead to neck and back pain as well as carpal tunnel problems.
You can adjust your work area by adjusting your chair and raising your monitor so it’s eye level.
Ergonomic keyboards and wearable wrist supports can help too. Making these changes to your work area is a good place to start to reduce the amount of pain that you’re experiencing. Unfortunately for some people, this won’t help with their pain and if this is the case, it’s time to start thinking about some alternative treatments. Many people in recent years have turned to natural products such as 100% cannabis oil and cannabinoids to help treat chronic pain, and they can provide some relief from the symptoms of carpal tunnel. Cannabis has been used for hundreds of years to treat pain and help muscles relax so it might be something that can help. Be sure to do your research on sites like budbuddies.ca before purchasing any strain. It may be that you would prefer to take these orally, or you could smoke it. Alternatively, before having to consider the possibility of having surgery, you may want to try a product such as kratom which is known to help with issues like chronic pain. So you might want to Find Kratom Near Me if you’re looking for help with managing your pain. Check with your doctor first if you would like more information.
Chiropractic treatment –Your spine connects to your arm, wrist and hand through nerves, muscles, tendons and a series of bones. When these bones and muscles are out of alignment, this will contribute to your chronic pain. Chiropractic adjustments will realign your spine and reduce pain. Regular massage—a monthly massage can help your muscles release tension so they’re more pliable. When combined with regular chiropractic treatments, you’ll get the most benefit.
The chiropractic adjustment realigns your spine while the massage realigns your muscles and helps them hold your spinal adjustment longer.
When used in conjunction these three options may reduce your need for carpal tunnel surgery. Considering the pain of surgery and the downtime, isn’t it worth it? After all, surgery on your dominant hand can leave you unable to work for up to three months.
If you’re in the Doylestown area, Dr. Jeff McQuaite will take Xrays to establish a baseline and offer you a full range of options.
If you’re one of the millions who spend long hours at the computer, you may suffer with pain in your wrist, fingers, and/or shoulder. The repetitive motions of computer keystrokes can lead to a pinched nerve in the wrist known as carpal tunnel syndrome.
This pinched nerve can lead to painful tingling in the fingers, and a shooting pain right up to the shoulder. You may even see swelling in your hand or fingers.
So what can you do?
Since you probably aren’t able to stop using the computer, you can manage your pain with a combination of an ergonomic workstation, an anti-inflammatory diet and heat therapy. Chiropractic care helps for many people too.
Is Your Work Area Optimal for You?
In order to prevent and manage this carpal tunnel syndrome, make sure your computer work area is adjusted for your height. Your computer monitor should be at eye level. If you find yourself looking down to type for hours a day, that puts a strain on your neck that can cause pain in your back, your shoulder and ultimately, your arm, wrist and hand.
Make sure your chair supports your back and helps you to sit with good posture. If you’re slumped over all day, that will lead to low energy (because you’re not breathing deeply and evenly) plus, it can lead to back pain.
Eat an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Inflammation is the body’s way of healing itself. If you’re in feeling pain or see swelling that’s your body’s way of sending chemicals to the affected area to try and heal it. Chronic inflammation can make it worse. Certain foods like broccoli, bell peppers and other vegetables will help lower your inflammation levels.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Regular chiropractic adjustments re-align your spine. This re-alignment puts your bones back in place so they’re no longer out of alignment. When you combine this with good nutrition and an ergonomic work area, you can alleviate the pain caused by the pinched nerve in your wrist without surgery.
If you’re in the Doylestown, PA area, come in and see Dr. Jeff McQuaite for carpal tunnel relief.
Winter’s been a bit hard on us this year and you know what that means. Snow shoveling and spills on the ice are happening all over Central Bucks and can leave you with a serious back ache. In fact, just the other day a new patient limped in after slipping on icy steps.
We did an x-ray to determine the extent of the damage and outline the treatment options. After hot/cold therapy and a chiropractic adjustment, he was back on his feet with a greater range of motion and less pain than he had when he entered. Plus, he’ll heal quicker.
Your Spine Affects Your Whole Body
Slipping on ice can leave you feeling battered and bruised. It’s also sure to knock your spine out of alignment. That’s where chiropractic care can help. A chiropractor will assess your body for damage and adjust you so your spine is back in alignment. This will help you feel less stiff and be better able to regain your full range of motion just like my patient earlier in the week.
In chiropractic school, chiropractors study the 33 bones in your spinal column. They learn how each of these bones relate differently to the rest of your body and can affect your movements.
For instance, the 5 vertebrae that make up your lumbar region (lower back), are responsible for your ability to bend from side to side and forward as well as support your upper body. If one (or more) or these are out of alignment, you’ll feel pain and stiffness. Chiro care discovers the source and eliminates the pain so you can get on with your life.
Whether your back aches because of snow shoveling or you’ve slipped and hurt yourself, you don’t need to suffer.
Don’t suffer with a back ache, call your Doylestown chiropractor, Dr. Jeff McQuaite and reclaim your life!
Degenerative disc disease is one of the most common causes of low back and neck pain, and also one of the most misunderstood. Here are some things you should know.
The term, degenerative does not apply to the symptoms, but rather describes the process of the disc degenerating over time. Many times those with a diagnosis of degenerative disc disease are fearful that the pain will worsen and they will be crippled and confined to a wheelchair; however, the pain from degenerative disc disease usually does not get worse and in fact usually gets better given enough time. This is explained by what is known as degenerative cascade theory.
Kirkaldy-Willis was the first to describe the degenerative cascade of degenerative disc disease. There are three general stages to his theory:
There is significant dysfunction caused by the acute back pain of the injury.
Next, there is a long phase of relative instability at that particular vertebral segment and the patient will be prone to intermittent bouts of back pain.
Finally, the body re-stabilizes the segment and the patient experiences fewer episodes of back pain.
Another source of confusion is created by using the term “disease,” which is actually a misnomer. Degenerative disc disease is not really a disease at all, but rather a degenerative condition that at times can produce pain from a damaged disc.
Disc degeneration is a natural part of aging. Over time all people will exhibit changes in their discs. However, not all people will develop symptoms. In fact, degenerative disc disease is quite variable in its nature and severity.
Much confusion also stems from the fact that medical professionals don’t agree on what the phrase degenerative disc disease actually describes. And how can they when the medical textbooks rarely attempt to give an accurate description?
While debate and confusion surround degenerative disc disease, it is important to note that disc degeneration can lead to or hasten the onset of additional spinal conditions. So, it is essential and responsible to pay attention to your back pain and seek medical attention to help with symptoms. Just don’t panic, one or a combination of treatments such as physical therapy, chiropractic treatments or osteopathic manipulation, often provide adequate relief of troubling symptoms.
According to the American Chiropractic Institute, 9 out of 10 Americans suffer from headaches at least occasionally. Some of you suffer on a more consistent basis.
Bright lights, noise or general anxiety can cause headaches. Even certain foods may trigger headaches in some people.
Did you know chiropractic care can offer headache relief? In fact, a 1995 study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that spinal adjustments helped study participants suffering from headaches. The study found regular chiropractic treatment reduces tension headaches.
Do You Spend Hours at the Computer?
One way chiropractic care can help is by re aligning the neck.
Millions of Americans spend hours a day at a computer. This often leads to stiffness and muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. Prolonged tension can cause headaches. If you move around and stretch at least once an hour, you’ll help keep the blood flowing in your neck and release some stiffness.
Plus, you’ll want to make sure your workspace is ergonomically sound. One adjustment you can make is raising your computer monitor so it’s eye level. That adjustment protects your neck and shoulders so they can stay relaxed rather than straining.
You might be surprised to learn, 70% of all headache sufferers have an impairment in their cervical spine. That’s not surprising if you’re sitting for extended periods of time with less than optimal posture is it?
The National Institute of Health agrees that chiropractic care can offer headache relief. Particularly for those suffering with migraines, spinal manipulation helped.
In makes sense when you think about it. When your body is out of alignment, pressure is exerted where it shouldn’t be causing irritation and tension. Chiropractic treatment relieves that pressure. Studies show it’s more effective than medication.
Your chiropractor can make recommendations for you and prescribe a course of action that’s right for you.
If you’re seeking headache relief, consider chiropractic care. It’s time you feel better.
