Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Acupuncture

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition in the wrist where the middle nerve is trapped. The middle nerve runs from the forearm along the carpal bones to the palm. The gap between the carpal bones is called the carpal tunnel. When nerve tissue and or the tissue in and around the tunnel swells, it presses on the nerve, resulting in complaints of a different nature. The condition shows a lot of overlap with other neurological disorders and is more common in women than in men.

Commonly experienced symptoms:

• nocturnal tingling and pain in the hand that will wake you from sleeping;
• tendency to flutter with the hands in the hope that the symptoms deminish;
• reduced feeling in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and part of the ring finger;
• awkwardness and the feeling of losing strength in the hand (when wringing a mop or writing for example);
• usually occurs on both sides at the same time;
• tingling and pain can also be experienced during the day, for example while cycling, using the computer mouse, et cetera;
• varies from moderate pain to very severe pain in the hand or forearm which make sleeping impossible;
• in some cases the pain spreads out over the entire arm.