What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or CTS
Carpal tunnel syndrome is also called CTS.
Carpal tunnel is a narrow passage surrounded by bones and ligaments. Tendons and nerves pass through this tunnel and go into hands and fingers.
Three nerves pass through the wrist into the hand; these are median, ulnar, and radial.
When there is inflammation of tendons due to repetitive injury, swelling occurs which creates pressure on nerves and nerves get trapped.
Compression of median nerve leads to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Symptoms of CTS
- Pain, burning, numbness, tingling in the hands and fingers.
- Loss of sensitivity of hands and fingers.
- The affected area feels drier and warmer.
- Weakness of hands which causes difficulty in making a fist and grasping objects.
- Pain may extend from hand to forearm, arm, shoulder and neck.
- I have seen in my practice, which I have been doing since 1997, that symptoms get worse at night.
Causes of CTS
- Repetitive stress injury of the wrist like too much of laptop, mobile, violin, guitar; meat cutters, dentists, factory workers can get easily affected.
- Bad posture while working on the table, driving can lead to stressful hand, arm and neck positions.
- Repetitive stress injuries can happen during sports like golf, tennis, rowing, skiing, archery, shooting, rock climbing.
- Fracture or dislocation of the wrist.
- Rheumatoid arthritis because of which soft tissue gets swelled up and compressed.
- CTS is more common in females. The reason is perhaps the carpal tunnel is narrow in females.
Allopathic Treatment
When a CTS patient consults an orthopedic doctor; he treats him in four ways:
- Corticosteroids Injections: Side effects of steroid injections are allergic reaction, swelling, skin discoloration, increased blood sugar, decreased immunity.
- NSAIDs or Painkillers: The side effects of these are stomach ulcers, easy bleeding, high blood pressure, liver damage, kidney damage.
- Gabapentin: The side effects are drowsiness, dizziness, sleepiness, double vision, dim vision, dryness of mouth, fatigue, fever, swelling of body, decreased immunity.
- Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery: When medicines do not provide relief and start causing side effects then the doctor advises surgery.
I have seen in my clinical practice, which I have been doing since 1997, that even after surgery carpal tunnel syndrome recurs.
Surgery can have complications like swelling of the hand, nerve damage, painful scarring, and incomplete healing.
Homeopathic Treatment
Most of the patients come to me after allopathic treatment and sometimes even after surgery because they are still suffering from pain, burning, numbness, tingling and weakness of hands and fingers.
In homeopathy, we do not have pain killers and steroids. Our medicines are prepared from natural sources which target the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Homeopathic remedies heal and repair the injured tissues which reduces inflammation thereby removing the pressure from the median nerve.
As the treatment progresses, patient feels less discomfort in performing daily routine work. Pain, burning, numbness, tingling, weakness starts improving.
According to my experience, improvement usually starts within 4 to 8 weeks of treatment. Generally, it takes approximately 8 months to 1 year for complete betterment of carpal tunnel syndrome.
If the patient takes the treatment religiously, then chances of recurrence are nil.
Number of Medicines
There are around 411 medicines in homeopathy for carpal tunnel syndrome which are very effective.
Now which of these medicines are to be given, in how much potency, how many times in a day – this is a complicated process which only a highly qualified and experienced doctor can do.
A sensible doctor never prescribes on the name of the disease carpal tunnel syndrome. He takes complete history of the patient, then studies his symptoms properly.
After this, he selects the medicines keeping in mind the susceptibility of the patient and decides upon the potency and repetition of medicines.
In carpal tunnel syndrome, I prescribe for one month and then review the patient after that. Every month the case is studied again thereby finetuning the medicines and their potencies.
Nothing is fixed in homeopathic treatment; remedies change according to the condition of the patient.
I always say, “homeopathy is not readymade, it is tailormade.”
Name of Medicines?
Friends, in this blog I have not named any medicines, nor I have promoted medicines of any company; because by doing so I will be playing with your health and may harm you. A sane doctor will never do this.
Top 12 Home Remedies & Diet Tips for CTS
- Twice a day, rub your wrists with Arnica and Rhus toxicodendron ointment.
- Wear a wrist splint whenever possible.
- While working provide rest to the wrist at short intervals.
- Avoid sleeping on your hands.
- Apply cold pack on the affected wrist. Apply for 10 minutes and then remove for 10 minutes. Do this for 1 hour.
- Shaking the affected hand may provide temporary relief.
- Strengthen hand and forearm muscles with a rubber grip exerciser.
- Rotate your wrist and stretch your palm and fingers at short intervals.
- Do yoga positions which relax the neck and back.
- Take diet rich in vitamin B complex, B6, C, E like milk, cheese, eggs, whole grain cereals, vegetables, nuts, seeds, amla, oranges.
- Reduce sugar in your diet.
- Drink ginger tea: it reduces inflammation.