What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal Tunnel happens when the median nerve, that travels through your wrist, becomes irritated. The median nerve is part of a network that originates from the neck and forms into different smaller nerves. Ultimately, the median nerve resides under a little ligament in the wrist.

Carpal tunnel specifically means that the median nerve is trapped or pinched in the carpal tunnel area. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to diagnose because when most people experience pain travelling down their arms assume they have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. As a result, they either self-diagnose or get an incorrect diagnosis from their family doctor.

This is important because the pain won’t go away if you don’t have carpal tunnel syndrome and get the surgery. Patients with arm pain, numbness, or pins and needles in their fingers, often have forward head posture issues, not carpal tunnel.

If Not Carpal Tunnel, What Is It?

Keeping your head forward too often can cause nerve pain and irritation, that people mistake for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Forward head posture can happen while you are working, driving, looking at your phone and tablet, using your computer at work, and even sitting watching TV. Poor head posture creates direct pressure and stress on the nerves in your neck.

Remember, the median nerve travels from the neck, down the shoulder, and right into the fingers. So, it’s very likely that if someone has a forward head posture, they are not going to have proper nerve flow going down the arms and those nerves will be pinched. However, in this scenario the pain is not originating in the carpal tunnel area, it’s starting in the neck with the poor head posture.

Symptoms Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

It is extremely important to receive the proper diagnosis and have surgery only when needed. A proper diagnosis leads to a proper treatment plan and increases your quality of life afterward. As a chiropractor I need to find where that nerve pain originates and when there is pain going down the arm, 90% of the time there is a neck problem.

How do you know you have carpal tunnel and not nerve problems that originate in the neck? Carpal Tunnel Syndrome only affects the thumb, index, and middle finger. Pain from carpal tunnel presents from the wrist to the elbow and difficulty making a fist. If this doesn’t describe your symptoms, save yourself a lot of pain and recovery from potentially unnecessary surgery and get a second opinion from a qualified professional.