The median nerve passes through the space formed by the arch of the wrist bones and surrounding ligament (the flexor retinaculum), forming the carpal tunnel. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful condition caused by compression of the median nerve. Common symptoms include weakness, tingling, and aching pain. The condition occurs most frequently in people who perform repetitive work with their hands, such as typists and carpenters.
• Dr. Jeff West, DC, one of the chiropractors I have worked with in the past, often gets dramatic results by simply restoring movement to the wrist bones with specialized adjustments. Many of his very grateful patients have been able to avoid surgery this way. The operation is not only very expensive, but involves cutting the ligament to relieve the pressure, which further destabilizes the joint and can lead to more serious dysfunction later on.
• Naturopaths and MD’s cite scientific studies that have shown the benefits of high doses of Vitamin B-6 to treat carpal tunnel syndrome (Ellis et. al., 1976).
• At our clinic, in addition to the above treatments, we use herbs from the moving blood group, such as dang gui, salvia root, carthamus flower etc., along with acupuncture. External applications using the same herbs as alchohol tinctures are also very useful.
