Alternatives to Carpal Tunnel Surgery

Article Authored by Medical Expert: Doctor Clyde E. Morgan, DC, Musculoskeletal Expert

Patients who do their research recognize that they need to try other alternatives before resorting to a surgical procedure to treat their Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

This is because patient surveys show a 50% to 60% success rate and even when Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery is considered successful, it is still likely to come back for 85% of people within seven years. So, undergoing surgery is not a great option. It should be considered as a last resort after other clinically documented treatment regimens have been applied.

So, what are the clinically documented alternatives to Surgery?

the-carpal-solution-packagingThe first Carpal Tunnel Treatment Alternative that you should consider is Carpal Solution Therapy.   It was developed by Doctors working with patients and has a 97% success rate.   Patients say that it is the best medical treatment they have ever tried.   It is a natural stretching therapy applied at night during sleep using a unique taping system. The gentle but consistent stretching applied for 8 hours during sleep, restores flexibility to the soft tissue around the Carpal Tunnel, it restores blood circulation to the injured tissue and disperse lymphatic fluid.   In this way the pressure is relieved from the Median Nerve over a six week protocol developed by the Doctors.

Once the pressure is gone, the syndrome and symptoms go away for 2 to 7 years.   There are no risks, no downtime and no complications. Neurologists, (the nerve experts) say, “The Carpal Solution represents the best first line of defense for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.” Most patients just say it is their “Carpal Tunnel Cure!”   On this website you can learn all about the Carpal Solution Therapy and order it online.

Alternatives to Carpal Tunnel SurgeryThe Second Alternative you might want to consider is best applied when you are at the end of your rope and you have to have relief now.   Then you can go to an emergency room or an Orthopedic Surgeon and request a Steroid Injection. Steroid injections work for about 50% of people and give immediate relief when they work.   The relief is not lasting and the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel generally come back within 2 to3 months.   Medical Text books suggest that you not get more than 2 steroid injections in any one joint in a life time. This is due to the potential for joint deterioration over the long run.

 

hand with a wrist braceA Third Alternative to surgery to be considered is wearing a rigid hand brace, also known as a wrist splints.   These braces can be purchased in any drug store or pharmacy.   These immobilizing braces or splints relieve discomfort associated with movement and can be helpful for a few weeks up to a month until you can employ a better strategy.   There are several problems with this approach. Immobilization of the hand and wrist leads to muscle atrophy and it is common to find further injury to the soft tissue around the Carpal Tunnel due to the constant impingement of the rigid material pressing against the soft tissue of the hand.

People find these rigid hand braces or wrist splints annoying because they are restrictive and somewhat uncomfortable.

In the long run these rigid braces make Carpal Tunnel worse if worn constantly.   They are best employed in only two situations.

One situation is when you are lifting heavy objects routinely at some point of the day. The rigid splint can protect your hand and wrist from the stress of repetitive lifting. In this case the rigid splint should not be worn longer than two hours per day.

A second situation where the rigid braces can be helpful is if you curl your hands at night during sleep and cannot retrain yourself to sleep in a different position, the rigid brace or splint can be worn loosely to prevent you from bending your wrist at a right angle. When the wrist is bent at a right angle, the Carpal Tunnel is narrowed by about half causing more pressure on the Median Nerve.   Doctors maintain that it is better to find ways with pillows to retrain your sleep posture and avoid curling your wrists rather than becoming dependent on a rigid brace.

If you cannot stop curling your wrists at a right angle during sleep, you can wear the Carpal Solution Therapy stretching device under the rigid brace if you need to for the six weeks of protocol. It is important during the therapy to only wear the rigid brace loosely – just tight enough to prevent you from curling your hands. Otherwise it will cancel out the stretching action of the Carpal Solution Therapy.

In the long run these rigid braces lead to muscle atrophy and make Carpal Tunnel worse if used more than a few hours per day. It is best to avoid them for a long-term approach.

Alternatives to Carpal Tunnel SurgeryA Fourth Approach is daytime stretching of your fingers and hands or Massage by a hand therapists or a hand masseuse.  Daytime stretching regimens, Daytime Carpal Tunnel Exercises and or hand massage can be quite helpful if you have the time to take to stretch for a half an hour to 45 minutes two or three times per day.

Daytime stretching is complimentary to wearing the Carpal Solution Therapy.   These two approaches reinforce each other and can be used together.

The both help to restore the blood circulation and flexibility to the soft tissue of the hand and disperse lymphatic fluid which helps relieve the pressure on the Median Nerve.

Most patients report that it is much more convenient to wear the Carpal Solution Stretching Device during sleep than to try to find an extra hour or two per day for hand and wrist stretching or massage.

The Carpal Solution Therapy is powerful because it applies consistent stretching therapy for 8 hours during sleep. There is no other way to duplicate this consistent gentle stretching therapy during sleep with daytime stretching therapy, massage or Carpal Tunnel exercises.

 Click on the arrow in the picture below to watch a video of Diane, a Pianist and Music Director in Los Angles, California tell her story about trying all the different Carpal Tunnel Alternatives to try and save her career in music. She finally found the one that worked! You will enjoy Diane’s story.   It is the most popular video on our website.

Watch Patients tell how symptoms got worse after Carpal Tunnel Surgery until they found a natural cure.