Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is caused by pressure on the median nerve; a nerve in your wrist. The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway surrounded by bones and ligaments on the palm side of your hand. When the median nerve is compressed, the symptoms can include numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hand and arm.
Symptoms of carpal tunnel
Symptoms of CTS often start slowly and come and go. They’re usually worse at night. They occur because the median nerve can’t function the way it is supposed to because of the inflammation and/or the pressure surrounding it.
Manifestations of carpal tunnel syndrome are:
- an ache or pain in your palm and thumb or your index and middle fingers
- numb hands
- tingling or pins and needles that can move up to the arm
- a weak thumb or difficulty gripping and holding things
Causes of carpal tunnel
Often people don’t know what caused their carpal tunnel as it can be difficult to identify the root cause. It can be due to repetitive motions, such as, typing, or any wrist movements that you do over and over. This is especially true of things you do when your hands are lower than your wrists. Additionally, it can be due to medical conditions such as, diabetes, hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis.
You’re more at risk if you are overweight, pregnant, you work or engage of hobbies that cause your wrist to bend or your hand to grip hard, such as using vibrating tools, have another illness, such as arthritis or diabetes, have a parent, brother, or sister with CTS, or have previously injured your wrist. Women are three times more likely than men to experience the condition. This might be because they tend to have smaller carpal tunnels.
Treatments for carpal tunnel
Your treatment depends on your symptoms and on how far the condition has progressed. You might need:
- Lifestyle changes, especially if your CTS is due to repetitive motions.
- Exercises to stretch and strengthen your wrist and hand.
- Medications such as anti-inflammatory or steroids.
- Immobilisation to keep your wrist from moving and to lessen pressure on your nerves.
- Surgery, if nothing else has worked.
Phil Tufnell, EX Professional Cricketer | “I would definitely recommend the B-Cure Laser to anyone”
Non-invasive laser treatment for carpal tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome can get very debilitating, and symptoms can greatly impact your quality of life. The B-Cure Laser device is an innovative medical device that offers Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) technology to effectively treat carpal tunnel with a drug-free approach. LLLT is also called cold laser therapy because the effect is photochemical and not thermal (as opposed to high-intensity laser). This means that the power of the laser is not sufficient enough to heat your tissues, but it is enough to trigger a cellular response in the damaged cells that promotes regeneration and healing. The way that LLLT works is very similar to the process of photosynthesis in plants, where the photons from the light are absorbed by the cells and trigger biochemical changes. This process is called biostimulation. The main cellular response following laser application is the increased production of a molecule called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). ATP interacts with several biomolecules in the cells, transporting energy and helping to restore normal cellular function.
LLLT is becoming increasingly popular in managing a variety of medical conditions such as pain, soft tissue injuries, arthritis, and skin traumas. The wavelengths used to penetrate the skin that have been proven successful in clinical trials are in the red to near-infrared region of the light spectrum (660nM–905nM). B-Cure Laser operates at 808nM which is the sweet-spot for treating most conditions. The light is applied to the injury or the painful site (in this case, the hand) for a few minutes twice a day. The results of repeated applications are a reduction of inflammation, pain relief, and accelerated tissue regeneration.
