Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome with folk remedies. Exercises for treatment. Non-drug treatment of symptoms

Modern world cannot exist without new technologies. The computer and the Internet have become everyday companions of almost every person, young and old. You and I spend a significant part of our time at the computer: some as a matter of duty, and others as leisure. Regardless of the reason, during operation of this device We use a computer mouse for convenience. It would seem a very convenient and harmless invention. But that was not the case. Regular use of a mouse can cause pain and numbness, as well as weakness in the hand. Fingers become unruly, cannot hold objects and hurt at night. These symptoms are caused by the occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome. This is the name given to the pathological result of using a computer mouse.

This condition occurs not only when working at a computer, but also as a result of a number of other reasons. Before the age of computer technology, carpal tunnel syndrome occurred mainly in people employed in occupations with intensive use of the hands (frequent flexion and extension). Similar symptoms may also appear during pregnancy, some somatic diseases. From this article you can find out what carpal tunnel syndrome is, when it develops, how it manifests itself, how to deal with it, and what measures can be taken to prevent its occurrence.

Carpal tunnel - what is it?

Carpal tunnel syndrome, or carpal tunnel syndrome, is a pathology of the peripheral nervous system. It is based on compression of the median nerve in the area of a specific anatomical canal in the wrist (a kind of tunnel), which is where the name of the disease comes from.

The carpal tunnel is located at the junction of the forearm and hand on the palmar side. Its walls are formed by the bones of the forearm (radius and ulna) on one side, the 8th small bones wrists on the other, between which the transverse carpal ligament is thrown. Inside this peculiar tunnel are the median nerve and tendons of the hand muscles. The size and shape of the canal, the thickness of the transverse carpal ligament are initially different for each person. Those people who have a narrow canal and a thick ligament have an increased risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. There is an interesting pattern: carpal tunnel syndrome practically does not occur in representatives of the Negroid race. This disease predominantly affects Europeans. It is quite possible that dark-skinned representatives of humanity initially have a rather wide canal, so their median nerve is not pinched in this area.

That part of the median nerve that passes directly through the canal provides sensory innervation to the palmar surface of the first three fingers of the hand and half of the ring finger (the side facing the thumb), as well as motor innervation of the muscles that provide movement of the thumb (abduction and opposition to the palm and other fingers of the hand). Compression of the median nerve in the canal area leads to changes in sensitivity in these areas and a decrease in muscle strength, which is the basis clinical manifestations carpal tunnel syndrome.

Causes of compression of the median nerve in the canal

Normally, the median nerve feels quite at ease in the carpal tunnel. However, some conditions can cause changes in the lumen of the canal, thereby causing compression of the nerve and tendons located in it. The narrowing of the canal lumen occurs as a result of swelling of the hand muscles and tendon sheaths, and impaired blood supply to the muscles. These changes occur when:

a large number of monotonous movements of flexion and extension of the hand during professional activities, including exposure to vibration (typists, milkmaids, dentists, seamstresses, pianists, equipment assemblers, carvers, carpenters, masons, miners, and so on). Hypothermia of the hand plays an additional role;
prolonged stay of the hand in a position of excessive flexion or extension. Most often this occurs when working at a computer using a mouse with an incorrect posture. Bending the hand more than 20° relative to the forearm when a person uses a computer mouse leads to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. In order to ensure that the hand remains in a straight line with the forearm, it is necessary to use a special mat-stand on wheels. The mat ensures the correct position of the hand when working with a computer mouse;
traumatic injuries in the wrist area (fractures, dislocations);
pregnancy (due to a tendency to edema);
taking hormonal contraceptives (which also causes swelling in the carpal tunnel area);
other diseases of the body and pathological conditions that lead to swelling or a decrease in the lumen of the canal. These are diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism (decreased function thyroid gland), amyloidosis, acromegaly, menopause, gout, renal failure, overweight bodies.

This is not to say that all of these conditions will necessarily provoke the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. They increase the risk of its development, serve as an impetus, a prerequisite for its occurrence, but nothing more.

Clinical manifestations of carpal tunnel syndrome

Females are more susceptible to the disease. According to statistics, women suffer from this disease 10 times more often than men. Most often, carpal tunnel syndrome develops at the age of 40-60 years, when the ability of tissues to bear stress decreases and hormonal changes in the body develop.

Symptoms appear gradually, gradually gaining momentum. The main signs of carpal tunnel syndrome are:

numbness of the first three fingers (sometimes even half of the ring finger), appearing in the morning and with certain movements of the hand. If the patient often holds on to the upper handrails in public transport, drives a car with his hands fixed on the steering wheel, holds the phone in his hand while talking, all this provokes numbness and forces him to change his position, transfer the phone to the other hand, and so on. If the profession requires constant movements of the hand, then this also provokes numbness;
paresthesia - unpleasant sensations in the palm of the hand and the first three fingers. This may be a tingling sensation, a crawling sensation, a burning sensation;
pain in the area of 3-4 fingers (except for the little finger), palm, wrist, radiating to the forearm, elbow joint. The whole fingers hurt, and not just in the joints (as with other diseases). The pain has a burning tint. As the disease progresses, pain along with numbness begins to bother the patient at night, interfering with sleep. Patients rub, shake their hands, lower them down from the bed, which somewhat alleviates the condition (during these actions, blood flow improves somewhat);
clumsiness of fingers and hand. Initially, this symptom is associated with a violation of the sensory innervation of the fingers by the median nerve. Objects fall out of hands, fingers do not obey, they become weak and rigid. It is difficult to hold the pen and write or type on the keyboard (fingers do not hit the right keys). Later, such clumsiness also exists due to weakness in individual muscles of the hand;
objective decrease in sensitivity in the zone of innervation of the median nerve (the same first 3.5 fingers and part of the palm) – hypoesthesia. The sensation of a light touch (with cotton wool or a feather), the difference between a sharp and a dull touch, is lost. With long-term compression of the median nerve, severe sensitivity disorders develop; sensations do not arise even from injections;
when the autonomic fibers that make up the median nerve are damaged, trophic disorders develop. This manifests itself in a change in the temperature of the affected hand (more often it becomes cold to the touch), a change in color (blanching often develops), a sweating disorder (increase or decrease), thickening of the skin on the palm, clouding of the nails. Decrease in temperature environment accompanied by paleness and coldness of the affected hand;
weakness of the muscles that move the thumb. Suffering mainly from abduction and opposition of the thumb. The patient cannot grasp an object with his hand (for example, it is impossible to hold a bottle or glass in his hand due to their specific shape). If compression of the median nerve exists for quite a long time, then it is even possible to develop hypotrophy (thinning) of the muscles of the eminence of the thumb (the part of the palm directly adjacent to the first finger).

Depending on the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, the localization of changes can be unilateral or bilateral. If the prerequisite is to work with a computer mouse, then only the working hand will suffer. If the narrowing of the canal is caused by pregnancy or some other disease, then, most likely, both limbs are involved in the process. As a rule, the dominant limb (right in right-handed people and left in left-handed people) suffers more severely.

Despite the fact that carpal tunnel syndrome does not pose a threat to human life, its occurrence, however, makes a person unable to work. Moreover, the inability to carry out work activities can last for several months. Of course, timely seeking medical help and a timely diagnosis followed by appropriate therapy lead to recovery. Prolonged existence of the disease without adequate treatment can permanently disrupt the functioning of the hand and fingers.

Diagnostics

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a disease where the diagnosis can be made immediately when you first consult a doctor for medical help. Carefully collected complaints, a neurological examination and a number of some tests that provoke symptoms help the doctor not to make a mistake. What kind of tests are performed during the examination? They are quite simple and do not require any specific equipment. This:

test, or Tinnel's sign. Its essence is as follows: effleurage (light tapping) at the level of the fold of skin in the area of the wrist joint causes pain and paresthesia in the area of the first 3 fingers (3.5, to be more precise), the palm spreading to the forearm (that is, in those places , where these sensations bother the patient outside of effleurage);
Phalen test. To carry out this test, it is necessary to bend the hand at the wrist joint at a right angle and hold it in this position for 1-2 minutes. This position provokes numbness, paresthesia and pain in the fingers and hand;
tourniquet (cuff) test. The shoulder of the affected arm is compressed with a tonometer cuff until the pulse disappears and held in this position for 1 minute. As a result, there appear typical symptoms carpal tunnel syndrome;
postural provocation - raising straight arms above your head and holding in this position for 1 minute. The result is the same as with other tests.

If any doubts about the correctness of the diagnosis still remain, then the patient is prescribed an additional research method - electroneuromyography. This method allows you to confirm dysfunction of the median nerve and clarify the location of its damage, as well as distinguish carpal tunnel syndrome from other diseases of the peripheral nervous system (including spinal osteochondrosis).

All of the above is valid only in relation to carpal tunnel syndrome, that is, to clarify this particular diagnosis. If the syndrome itself is the result of some other disease (diabetes mellitus, arthritis, etc.), then other additional research methods may be needed.

Treatment

Successful treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome requires consideration of the cause of the disease. If this is a professional activity, then it is necessary to stop it for the duration of treatment. If the cause lies in the presence of another disease, then it must be treated along with carpal tunnel syndrome, otherwise recovery will not occur.

Proper treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome is always comprehensive. Use of medications and non-drug methods together with some manipulations in the canal area almost always gives a positive result, and the disease recedes.

Non-pharmacological measures include:

acupuncture;
compresses with dimexide and anesthetic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Diclofenac);
applying ice cubes for a few minutes 1-2 times a day (helps reduce swelling in the canal area).

From medicines use:

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Diclofenac, Nimesulide, Ibuprofen, Meloxicam and their analogues). The drugs relieve pain, reduce inflammation and swelling in the carpal tunnel area;
diuretics (Furosemide, Lasix, Diacarb). Their use gives therapeutic effect by reducing tissue swelling;
agents that improve blood flow, and therefore nutrition of the median nerve (Pentoxifylline, Nicotinic acid, Vinpocetine, Nicergoline and others);
B vitamins (Kombilipen, Milgamma, Neurovitan, Neurorubin and others).

If these measures are not enough, then they resort to injection into the carpal tunnel area of glucocorticoids with anesthetics (Hydrocortisone or Diprospan with Novocaine or Lidocaine). The manipulation is carried out with a special needle in a certain place. Usually, even a single injection is enough to dramatically reduce the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. And two or three manipulations, carried out at intervals of several weeks, can completely get rid of the disease.

If the administration of a hormone with an anesthetic does not produce a positive result, and the diagnosis is correct, then there is only one option left - surgical treatment.

Surgical treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome involves cutting the transverse carpal ligament. The operation is performed under local anesthesia. A 5 cm long skin incision is made in the wrist area, and then the ligament is cut and the median nerve is released. Endoscopic surgical treatment is also possible. In this case, two incisions of 1-1.5 cm are made and, using a special tube, an instrument is brought to the ligament, with which the ligament is cut. The scar in the case of endoscopic surgery is smaller and not as painful. However, it may take some time (sometimes several months) for the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome to completely disappear after surgery. Throughout this period, the patient undergoes physiotherapeutic procedures aimed at restoring the median nerve, and physical therapy is also prescribed.

Sometimes carpal tunnel syndrome is not completely cured even after surgical treatment. This occurs in cases where the nerve is irreversibly damaged (the compression was too long and too strong). In such cases, some of the symptoms remain with the patient forever.

Prevention

If your professional activity involves working at a computer, then there are a number of recommendations that, if followed, will help avoid the occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome:

correct working posture (right angle between the hips and lower back, between the shoulder and forearm. The hand and forearm should be on the same straight line. The hand should lie on the table and not hang in the air. To support the forearm, use special stands on wheels.);
periodic breaks in work (every 30-60 minutes for 5-10 minutes). During breaks, you need to do gymnastics for your hands: shake them, clench and unclench your fingers into a fist, massage your hands, use an expander. This improves blood flow, reduces venous stagnation, which serves as a prevention of tissue swelling;
the ability to adjust the height of the table, monitor, armrests, support on the back of the chair.

In addition, today there are computer mice in the form of a joystick, which significantly reduces the load on the carpal tunnel. It's a little unusual, but introducing them into office life can significantly reduce the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

As for other professions, employment in which can lead to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome, it is necessary to observe sanitary, hygienic and technical specifications work to avoid the occurrence of this disease. Breaks in work, not exceeding vibration levels, appropriate length of working time without overtime, and similar measures serve to prevent the occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Thus, it becomes clear that carpal tunnel syndrome is not dangerous, but very unpleasant illness. It is not life-threatening at all, but it does cause a lot of inconvenience both at work and in everyday activities. There is no need to ignore the symptoms that you are now aware of. Pledge successful treatment of this pathology – in timely seeking medical help.

Neurologist M. M. Shperling (Novosibirsk) talks about what carpal tunnel syndrome is:

Channel One, “Health” program with Elena Malysheva on the topic “Tunnel syndrome”:

One of the types of neuritis is carpal tunnel syndrome, which leads to a decrease in the sensitivity of the fingers and impairs them normal functioning. Lack of timely treatment can lead to muscle atrophy and motor ability of the hand. Knowing the causes of this disease, characteristic symptoms and possible consequences, it will not be difficult for a person to understand that he needs to seek help from a doctor as quickly as possible. You should study information on how to protect yourself from a disease that can leave the patient incapacitated for a long time.

What is carpal tunnel syndrome

A complex of interrelated signs of compression-ischemic compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel is called carpal tunnel syndrome. This disease is neuropathic in nature and blocks normal flexion at the junction of the forearm and hand. There are several synonymous names for this syndrome:

carpal tunnel;
wrist;
carpal tunnel.

The carpal tunnel (tunnel) is located at the base of the hand, formed by the carpal bones and the transverse ligament. In addition to the median nerve, the tendons of the finger flexor muscles pass through it. As a result of the disease, the innervation of the muscles that are responsible for abduction and opposition of the thumb (the ability to touch the pulps of other fingers), flexion, and extension of the phalanges is affected. The patient feels pain with the slightest movements of the hand.

Causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Statistics show that women are more often affected by the syndrome. It often blocks the normal function of the hands of people whose professional activities involve systematic flexion-extension movements of the wrist joint: office workers who often use labor activity computer mouse, keyboard, pianists, drummers, etc. Workers whose hand is extended more than 20° relative to the radius and ulna bones for a long time are at risk.

Radiocarpal syndrome can be caused by:

Injuries. Any traumatic injury to the hand (bruise, sprain, fracture), as a result of which the median nerve of the wrist is compressed, causes symptoms characteristic of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Rheumatoid arthritis. Inflammation of the wrist caused by this disease leads to the growth of the soft tissue of the tunnel in which the median nerve of the wrist is located, and compression of it.
Tenosynovitis – inflammation connective tissue tendons. This disease can have both an infectious origin (pulmonary tuberculosis, felon of the fingers) and a mechanical one: overstrain of the tendons as a result of prolonged stress on the hand. The disease is sometimes provoked long lasting influence cold on the human body.
Fluid accumulated in the human body as a result of painful conditions. Swelling during menopause, pregnancy, renal failure, etc., affecting the soft tissues of the canal, leads to compression of the nerve.
A tumor caused by neoplasms on the membranes of nerve tissue. Rarely seen. Diagnosed as schwannoma, neurofibroma, etc.
Diabetes mellitus. Damage to neuronal processes and processes characteristic of this disease may be caused by the accumulation of fructose and sorbitol in nerve tissue. As a result, the median nerve of the carpal tunnel can also suffer from pressure from the carpal tunnel walls.
Acromegaly is a dysfunction of the pituitary gland. This disease is accompanied by unnatural growth of the bones of the limbs, soft fabric channels in which the nerves are located, which provokes pinching of the carpal tunnel nerve.
Genetics. "Square wrist" - congenital anomaly, in which there is insufficient production of lubrication in the tendons of the hand. The transverse carpal ligament is thicker than in normal people and puts pressure on the nerve endings.

Symptoms of the syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome develops gradually. It can affect one or both hands, depending on the causes: systemic disorders the body sometimes provokes compression of the median nerve of two limbs; professional activity more often leads to disease in the hand of the active hand. Tissue paresthesia (numbness, loss of sensation) first appears in the morning, but disappears by midday. Later, the duration of lack of sensitivity increases - it can be felt both during the day and at night. The disease is accompanied by pain in the form of burning and tingling.

Symptoms appear over time in all fingers except the little finger, which is a characteristic feature of carpal tunnel syndrome. In the absence necessary therapy the pain spreads to the inside of the forearm. Systemic diseases can simultaneously affect the nerve of the elbow joint. The patient feels weakness in his hand, it is difficult for him to hold small objects. There is awkwardness in movements. Trophic disorders occur (impaired nutrition of tissue cells), which can lead to atrophy of the muscles of the limb.

Diagnostics

Carpal tunnel syndrome requires a neurological examination to determine accurate diagnosis and prescribing effective treatment for the disease. A person who experiences the symptoms described above should seek help from a neurologist. First, the doctor carefully collects an anamnesis (a set of information obtained from interviewing the patient). If wrist syndrome is suspected, he uses a number of tests to diagnose:

Tinelya. When tapping with inside palms in the canal area, the patient feels tingling in the fingers with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Falena. Provides maximum bending of the patient's hand at the wrist joint and maintaining this position for exactly a minute. Increased pain and paresthesia will indicate compression of the median nerve of the wrist.
Cuff. A measuring device cuff is placed on the patient's forearm. blood pressure, pump it with air, leave it in this position for a minute. Pain and numbness in areas innervated by the median nerve confirms the presence of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Raised hands. The patient is asked to raise his arms above his head for 40 seconds. Increased paresthesia indicates compression of the median nerve of the hand.

Diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome involves integrated approach. Main diagnostic measures to identify the disease are the following instrumental methods examinations:

Electroneuromyography. Using a special device, nerve endings are artificially stimulated with electric current. The speed of impulse movement along the nerve is calculated and the presence or absence of a muscle response to stimulation is recorded. Based on certain signs, the specialist determines: the function of which nerve is impaired, the level and nature of the lesion.
Radiography is an auxiliary method. An x-ray of the wrist joint will show the presence of a fracture, dislocation, inflammatory processes (with arthritis), etc. By eliminating the influencing factors that provoked the disease, the neurologist determines the real reason diseases and makes a final diagnosis.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – modern technique, allowing you to obtain a three-dimensional image of any tissue human body. This method shows the presence of diffuse edema and widening of the median nerve segments. It can be used to determine the presence of tumors localized on the nerve sheath, lipomas (overgrowth of connective tissue) of the periosteum. This helps to accurately determine the cause of the patient’s symptoms.
Ultrasound (US) is a widely used method in diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome. With its help, you can identify the reasons that contribute to the inhibition of nerve function in the canal:
damage to muscles, tendons and ligaments;
bursitis;
pathology of blood vessels;
lipomas;
hematomas;
abscess, swelling of adjacent tissues;
bone pathologies, etc.

If the doctor suspects a systemic origin of the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, the patient is prescribed a series of tests to determine laboratory research general condition body:

blood:
to determine sugar levels;
for thyroid-stimulating hormones to identify dysfunctions of the thyroid gland and metabolic processes in the body.
for detailed analysis (content of red blood cells, leukocytes, hemoglobin, etc.);
for rheumatic tests (biochemical study of blood to determine the presence of inflammatory processes in the body, their exact location, what caused them);
to determine circulating immune complexes (CIC) in plasma, indicating inflammation of bones and soft tissues;
antistreptokinase - an analysis that determines the presence of infection in the human body.
urine for:
determining the level of glucose in urine;
clinical analysis in order to identify kidney pathology, genitourinary system and dysfunction assessments.

Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome

The first step in treatment is compliance with the protective regime. It involves fixing the wrist joint with a special orthopedic product, which can be purchased at a pharmacy. The clamp eliminates stress on the wrist area. You will have to keep the joint connecting the forearm and hand completely still for two weeks. Without this regimen, it is impossible to avoid further tissue injury. The attending physician will recommend applying cold 3 times a day for 2–3 minutes per area inner surface wrists.

Drug therapy

The neurologist prescribes medications for treatment that can relieve the compressive factor, inflammatory processes and restore sensitivity in the areas of the hand innervated by the median nerve. The medications prescribed by the doctor, their dosage and duration of treatment will depend on the severity and reasons that caused it. Drug therapy often includes the use of:

Group of drugs	Examples of drugs
B vitamins	Milgamma, Neurobion, Neurobex, Doppelhertz active, Benevron
Anti-inflammatory (non-steroidal)	Ksefokam, Dikloberl, Aertal, Movalis, Xefokam
Vasodilators	Pentilin, Nicotinic acid, Trental, Angioflux
Diuretics	Hypothiazide, Furosemide, Diacarb
Anticonvulsants	Gabapentin, Pregabalin
Muscle relaxants (promoting muscle relaxation)	Sirdalud, Mydocalm
Glucocorticosteroids (hormonal drugs)	Metypred, Hydrocortisone, Prednisolone
Antidepressants	Duloxetine, Venlafaxine

Means for topical treatment

Local treatment is used as part of a set of measures to restore the functions of the median nerve of the carpal tunnel. Compresses applied to the wrist joint, in which active substance is made up of several medications, aimed at eliminating swelling and inflammation. Often Dimexide, Hydrocortisone, Lidocaine are used for this, the proportions of which in the compress are recommended by the doctor.

Towards effective local treatment involves the introduction into the carpal canal of a solution of drugs: anesthetics (novocaine or lidocaine) and synthetic glucocorticosteroids (Hydrocortisone or Diprospan). Steroids, when applied topically, with minimal threat of side effects, can significantly inhibit inflammatory processes in the body.

Physiotherapy

Together with drug treatment The doctor prescribes physiotherapeutic procedures to treat:

Acupuncture. Impact on acupuncture points leads to the activation of the body's reserve forces to fight the disease. The procedure improves blood circulation and relieves pain.
Manual therapy is aimed at desensitizing the central nervous system, which helps reduce pain in the carpal tunnel area.
Shock wave therapy is capable of restoring the vital functions of tissue cells (muscle, nervous), thanks to the rapid narrowing and expansion of adjacent blood vessels under the shock wave of the device.
Ultraphonophoresis. Under the influence of ultrasound, anti-inflammatory medications are administered, which helps eliminate pathologies of the median nerve of the wrist joint.

Surgical intervention

If complex drug therapy does not produce a positive result within six months, the patient is offered surgical intervention. The purpose of the operation is to expand the lumen of the carpal tunnel and eliminate factors that compress the median nerve. operationally.

Two methods of surgical correction are used under local anesthesia:

Open. An incision about 5 cm long is made on the inside of the wrist with a scalpel and the carpal ligament is cut.
Endoscopic. There are single-portal and double-portal surgical methods, which are used depending on the complexity of the task. The first differs from the second in the number of skin incisions. In this case, an endoscope is used to visually control the passes of the knife unit.

Both methods are difficult to implement. After endoscopic surgery, the patient returns to work sooner than in the case of open surgery, but postoperative complications are observed more often. Rehabilitation period for a patient who underwent open surgery – 1.5 months. After a successful uniportal dissection of the ligament, all hand functions are restored in approximately 25 days without complications.

Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome with folk remedies

Traditional medicine offers recipes for preparing remedies that can cope with the feeling of numbness and pain. Medicines are prepared from natural ingredients according to recipes:

Cucumber tincture. Cut three medium pickled cucumbers and two red hot peppers into small cubes. Pour the ingredients into 0.5 liters of vodka and leave for 7 days in a dark place. Strain. Rub into the wrist several times a day until the condition improves.
Oil rubbing. 50 g black ground pepper pour 0.5 liters of vegetable oil. Stir the mixture well and simmer on low heat for half an hour without bringing it to a boil. The medicine is rubbed into the sore spot as often as possible while warm.
Pumpkin wrap. Peel a quarter of a small pumpkin, cut into small cubes and boil in a small amount of water. Crush until a homogeneous paste is obtained and apply warm to the wrist area. Wrap it in polyethylene and cover it with a scarf on top. Keep for 2 hours. Course – 5-7 days.

Video

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a set of symptoms resulting from compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel.

The course of the disease, which is called carpal syndrome, is accompanied by weakness of the hand and numbness of the fingers. This is the general name for neuropathic conditions in which the nerve trunk is compressed.

The nerve is located in a canal of hard tissues that protect it from external influences. However, it suffers from deformation of the canal walls, which is caused by overstrain of tendons and ligaments, causing deterioration of trophism in the tissues. If the overstrain is constant, then the tissues of the carpal tunnel become thicker, looser and more swollen.

As a result, there is no free space left in the canal and the pressure on the nerve increases. This leads to dysfunction of the nerve; it stops conducting motor signals. Sometimes carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by swelling of the nerve. This occurs due to poisoning of the body with salts of heavy metals, arsenic, and mercury vapor.

Causes of the disease

Carpal syndrome often occurs due to monotonous, regular load on the arm.

But besides mechanical factors, there are several more:

professional activity with the same type of extension-flexion movements;
age-related changes. After age 50, changes occur in the bones and bone structures;
genetic factor. If there is a family history of arthritis, arthrosis, or osteochondrosis, the risk of the disease increases;
illnesses endocrine system. Subject to availability diabetes mellitus, thyroid dysfunction, the regenerative ability of tissues decreases;
microtrauma of the wrists.

Before the start of active computerization of the population, carpal tunnel syndrome was diagnosed in 3% of women and 2% of men. But after computers firmly entered our lives, the disease was called occupational.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common type of tunnel neuropathy. But this condition develops when various nerve trunks are infringed (suprascapular, digital plantar, median, palmar, ulnar, radial, median carpal).

Compression of any of the above nerves leads to carpal syndrome and has similar symptoms. Symptoms will increase gradually, since the disease also does not develop immediately.

At the initial stage there is a feeling slight discomfort when the joint is overloaded. As the disease progresses, the canal narrows and greater impairment of nerve function occurs.

Types of disease

There are several types of carpal syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome or compression-ischemic neuropathy of the median nerve of the wrist

This syndrome most often occurs and develops on the dominant hand. It appears more often in women. Its occurrence is caused by heavy physical labor with constant overload of the hands and forearms, and congenital narrowness of the carpal tunnel.

Other concomitant diseases (myxelema, rheumatoid arthritis, venous stagnation) also lead to this disease.

Previous injuries to the wrist play an important role, after which the formation of callus in the wrist area. Carpal tunnel syndrome often appears during pregnancy and menopause.

A person begins to be bothered by a feeling of tingling, numbness, “goosebumps”, which are felt in the thumb, index, middle fingers, and may be in the ring finger, but never affect the little finger. The pain may radiate to the shoulder or forearm.

Due to such unpleasant symptoms, a person is very uncomfortable sleeping; he has to constantly get up and shake or rub his hand to get rid of the feeling of numbness.

When lowering the hand, the pain subsides, and when raising it intensifies. Pain occurs when performing work associated with tension in the wrist joint.

Pronator syndrome

It is provoked by carrying heavy objects with constant pressure on the forearm. Characteristic symptoms include: pain in the forearm, worsening when writing or raising the arm up.

Characterized by numbness, a crawling sensation in the fingers and palms. Weakness of the short abductor muscles occurs thumb, the sensitivity of the hand is impaired.

Supracondylar shoulder syndrome

It is also called love paralysis, since the disease often occurs as a result of pressure from the head of a sleeping partner on the arm bent at the elbow.

Cubital syndrome

The cubital canal of the elbow joint of the hand is pinched. Therefore, the disease is called cubital tunnel syndrome.

The damage occurs due to regular flexion and extension of the elbow joint. Often diagnosed in thin women. Also if there was an elbow injury.

Moreover, cubital syndrome can develop after a fairly long period of time. Observed painful sensations V ring finger, little finger, in the elbow area when trying to bend or straighten it. The pain worsens in cold weather.

Guyon's bed syndrome

This syndrome is caused by the constant use of a cane, crutches, and tightening screws. This type of syndrome is characterized by atrophy of the hand muscles and disorders of its sensitivity.

Diagnostics

First of all, it is necessary to exclude other diseases that have a similar picture to tunnel neuropathy. These are neuralgia, myalgia, arthrosis, arthritis.

Initially, anamnesis is collected. The doctor asks about existing diseases to differentiate carpal syndrome. Finds out whether there have been injuries to the wrist, shoulder and neck.

Ask about the profession to understand whether carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by professional activity. Testing is then carried out on the wrist, hands, forearms and shoulders.

Phalen test

The patient is asked to raise the elbow to shoulder level, turn inward back wrists, making sure that the wrists of both hands touch, and the hands should be held in this position for a minute.

If symptoms such as pain, numbness or tingling occur during the test, this indicates carpal tunnel syndrome.

This position creates maximum pressure on the median nerve area and on the carpal tunnel. When flexing and extending the hand, the patient feels numbness, pain, and “goosebumps” in the palms and fingers.

Tinel test

The doctor taps the skin of the arm over the area where the nerve passes. If tingling is observed in the fingers, this indicates the beginning of nerve regeneration.

Cuff test

A tonometer cuff is placed on the arm and the pressure is increased slightly above normal. Hold for 60 seconds. If numbness and tingling are felt in the fingers during this time, carpal tunnel syndrome is confirmed.

Sometimes other diagnostic methods are required.

Electrodiagnostic. Record the speed of electrical conduction of the nerve.
MRI. Allows you to obtain a detailed clinical picture of the condition internal organs. In this case, an MRI is performed cervical spine spine.
X-ray of the wrist joint. Allows you to exclude arthrosis and the consequences of injuries.
Ultrasound. Necessary for measuring the width of the median nerve in order to perform injections correctly.

Treatment of tunnel syndromes

If symptoms are mild, carpal tunnel syndrome can be treated at home.

Main goal home treatment- providing complete rest to the sore hand, alleviating existing symptoms.

Treatment in the early stages can stop the progression of carpal syndrome and prevent irreversible nerve damage.

Home treatment

At home, you should follow a number of rules:

stop activities that cause unpleasant symptoms;
Rest your wrist more often;
apply ice to your wrist 2 times a day;
take anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs as prescribed by your doctor to relieve pain;
rest is created for the sore hand and the prerequisites for nerve injury in the tunnel are eliminated. For this purpose, a splint is applied. It will help relieve pressure on the median nerve. By wearing it at night, you can fix the affected joint in a neutral position. This prevents compression of the median nerve at night during sleep. Splints may also be worn during work that aggravates symptoms. The neutral position of the wrist is considered to be straight or slightly curved. If, after a couple of weeks of treatment at home, the symptoms do not improve, or even intensify, you should consult a doctor.

Conservative treatment

Treatment of the underlying disease

If carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by other diseases, then it is worth treating them. Hypothyroidism is treated with hormonal therapy. If the syndrome is associated with professional activity, then you should change your job. Usually after this the functions of the hand are restored.

Medicines

Treatment with vascular, analgesic, and dehydration agents is prescribed. Novocaine blockades are used, as well as blockades with hydrocortisone, lidase in the tissue surrounding the nerve or in the canal.

At the same time, anesthetics and corticosteroids are injected into the carpal tunnel. After the first injections, a person already feels great relief, and three injections are enough for recovery.

Treatment is carried out with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Ibuprofen, Indomethacin, to relieve pain and inflammation.

Hormonal drugs, which are injected into the affected area using a syringe or smeared with ointment. Calcium chloride in the form of injections to eliminate inflammation and stabilize immune system reactions.

Physiotherapy

Manual manipulation of the hand, which is necessary for recovery, has a good effect. correct location wrist bones. Phonophoresis and electrophoresis help well. Applications with lidase, Dimexide + Hydrocortisone.

If conservative treatment methods do not help, then neurotherapy is prescribed. surgical treatment.

Operation

Surgical treatment is necessary when the severity of carpal syndrome does not allow homework, engage in professional activities.

During the operation, the ligament located on top of the carpal tunnel is cut. This leads to an enlargement of the canal and the pressure on the nerve is relieved.

Surgery eliminates unpleasant symptoms and completely eliminates side effects. This is an open operation. The minimally invasive technique consists of endoscopic dissection of the carpal ligament, performed through a small incision using a camera and special surgical instruments.

Therapy with folk remedies

Treatment of carpal syndrome with folk remedies at home is aimed at eliminating all unpleasant symptoms of the disease.

Sea buckthorn infusion

Sea buckthorn berries are mixed with water. Then the resulting mixture is heated to 37 degrees. You should steam your hands in the resulting mixture for 30 minutes.

After the procedure, dry your hands thoroughly and put on warm mittens. Brushes should be treated in this way for a month, then take a break for a couple of weeks.

Ammonia and alcohol

A tablespoon of salt is poured with 50 grams of 10% ammonia and 10 grams of camphor alcohol are added. Everything is dissolved in a liter of water. The resulting product is rubbed on sore limbs or used in the form of baths. The product will help get rid of numbness in your fingers and the feeling of goosebumps.

Pepper rub

Pour 100 grams of ground black pepper into a liter of vegetable oil and heat for half an hour over low heat. The warm product is rubbed into the sore hand several times a day.

Prevention

Preventive measures include a number of rules:

When working at a computer, you should use the mouse less often. If it is impossible to work without a mouse, then you need to purchase a special mouse pad with a special wrist rest.
The arm from the elbow to the hand should lie on the table. A computer chair must have armrests.
If you feel tired in the wrist area, you need to do a little exercise for your hands and give them rest. You can clasp the fingers of both hands and rotate the hands in different sides. You can squeeze a rubber ball.
Before sitting down for long periods of work that involve straining your wrists, you need to warm up your hands with gymnastics.
Avoid similar movements that lead to compression of the nerve. It is better to perform all movements with a healthy hand.
It is better to sleep on the side opposite the sore arm. This will allow the affected limb to rest.

Carpal (carpal) syndrome, although not life-threatening, does make life significantly more difficult.

Mostly life modern man itself creates all the conditions for the development of this disease.

It is no longer possible to imagine your life without a computer. Namely, its use in most cases leads to the occurrence of carpal syndrome.

But if you follow the rules of prevention and use folk remedies, you can protect yourself from this pathology or relieve symptoms if they have already begun to appear.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a neuralgia of the carpal nerve called carpal tunnel syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, or carpal tunnel syndrome.

The carpal nerve is a kind of neural cable emanating from the carpal nerve ganglion, which is a connection of all the nerves of the lower part of the hand to one point of the wrist nerve ganglion for transmitting generalized signals. The carpal nerve passes at the beginning of the hand through a tunnel of three carpal bones and a transverse tendon ligament with the fourth. Together with the carpal nerve, the flexor tendons of the fingers pass through this place.

The carpal nerve is also one of the central main nerves of the arm (there are only three of them, there is also the radial and ulnar), which runs through the entire arm to the nerve plexus in the shoulder.

The carpal nerve is responsible for the sensitivity of the longitudinal middle of the palm from the thumb to the middle of the ring finger and for controlling the movements of the hand and the secretion of sweat glands. To put it roughly, this nerve is responsible for manipulating the hand. Each hand has its own carpal nerve.

Tunnel syndrome or tunnel is a syndrome of neuralgia of the nerves caused by their compression or injury by the surrounding muscles, tendons or musculoskeletal canals, as well as inflammation of the nerve canal from the surrounding body tissues.

The carpal tunnel is an opening or pathway for a nerve to pass from the forearm to the fingers, through the wrist. In other words, this is the channel through which the neurons that make up the median nerve pass, also known as the carpal nerve.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a disease of the median nerve - neuralgia or neuritis.

Neuralgia of the nerve is a sharp pain caused by atypical irritation of the nerve, which can be caused by its compression, pinching, inflammation of the surrounding tissues, as well as the nerve itself, long-term exposure cold, salt deposition in nearby tissues, toxins and allergic reactions. This disease does not cause changes or damage nerve tissue, but only causes severe torment with disruptions in the functioning of the nerve itself.

Neuritis – severe complication neuralgia or a self-occurring disease that entails the death of neurons, and sometimes the entire nerve.

This disease can be unilateral, if it affects one arm, or bilateral, when two nerves of both arms hurt.

Complications of the disease are represented by the possibility of damage to the nervous tissue with the possibility of its complete atrophy.

Symptoms

Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include: typical signs neuralgia or neuritis, manifested in the initial stages by tingling like small needles or a nettle burning sensation, gradually turning into pain in the first three to four fingers of the hand, starting with the thumb.

Over time, the sensitivity of the zone of responsibility of the median nerve begins to decrease until it is completely lost.

Loss of sensation causes motor impairment of the entire hand or just the fingers.

Sometimes CTS is accompanied by disturbances in the microcirculation of fluids with whitening or bluing of the skin, coldness of the affected hand to the touch, problems with sweating, and disturbances appearance nails Another sign is that slight movements of the fingers with the arm lowered can bring temporary relief.

Diagnostics

To distinguish CTS from other diseases that can cause pain reactions, diagnostic tests are performed:

The Tinnel test involves lightly tapping the area above the median nerve along the arm above the wrist with a special neurological hammer. At positive reaction There is a tingling sensation in the fingers and painful electric jabs in the hand, and sometimes there is pain in the tapping area. This diagnosis is carried out in severe cases of CTS with increased pain.

Wrist flexion-extension test, where the hand is flexed at the wrist as much as possible and held for a minute. If during this period a tingling occurs in the area of responsibility of the nerve, then the test is positive.

Carrying out electromonography to study muscle contractility and identify causes of neuralgia that are not related to compression of the nerve by surrounding tissues.

Cuff test with application of a tonometer cuff with maximum pressure above and below the wrist with observation of paresthesia in case of a positive diagnosis. Paresthesia is a disturbance of sensitivity with false sensations of tingling, goosebumps, burning, etc.

Examination for a “square wrist”, i.e. anatomical structure of the joint with natural increase thickness and approximation to a square shape. This anatomical structure often cause natural compression of nerve tissue.

Causes of CTS

Carpal tunnel syndrome, which most often occurs in elderly or mature people, almost never in children and less often in young people, can be caused by the following reasons:

Work associated with increased load on the hands or vibration influence on them (this type also includes long-term work on the keyboard).
Compression by surrounding tissues due to swelling or injury to the hands.
Obesity causing pressure of fatty tissues.
Genetically determined individual characteristics structures - “square wrist”, increased thickness of the transverse ligament and other changes in the structure of the joint).
Arthritis, gout, bone tuberculosis and other inflammatory joint diseases that can be transmitted to the nerve.
The influence of diabetes mellitus, vitamin deficiency, hormonal disorders, abnormalities of the nervous system.

The above external causes of carpal nerve neuralgia cause internal reactions, which are directly CTS:

Most often, the pain reaction of the nerve in carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by compression by a large number of surrounding tissues that are closely adjacent to the nerve. Tissue enlargements can be caused by swelling, inflammation, sprains, and hematomas.
In second place are all kinds of inflammation of the surrounding tissues, which can cause pain both on their own and transmitted directly to the nerve itself.
Hypothermia of the joint, provoking a pain reaction or inflammation of the joint.
Various deposits, tumors, hematomas, aneurysms near the nerve, compressing or irritating it.
Circulatory disorders caused by obstruction of any vessels of the hand and causing swelling or lack of nutrition of the tissues of the hand with corresponding consequences.

Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome

How to treat carpal tunnel syndrome is decided by a neurologist after the necessary examination with an accurate determination of the causes of the disease.

Traditional treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome involves healing without surgical intervention and begins with complete rest of the diseased limb until plastering with a plaster splint. Next, medications of certain groups are prescribed: first of all, anti-inflammatory drugs, then dehydrating diuretics that help relieve tissue edema, drugs that restore microcirculation of intraorganismal fluids. Perhaps a local injection of glucocorticoids designed to urgently reduce swelling and relieve inflammation. Ends traditional treatment prescribing physiotherapeutic procedures using a constant magnetic field with acupuncture therapy to improve metabolic processes and stimulate nerve function.

As a rule, traditional methods are quite sufficient, but sometimes surgery is necessary to cut the transverse carpal ligament, freeing the nerve and relieving its pressure on the nerve and tendons, as well as restoring blood circulation if it is pinching the vessels.

Unconventional measures to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome - treatment with folk remedies is even more popular than medical ones due to the non-serious attitude towards such a disease. Elderly people especially like to resort to them - the main risk group for this disease.

The essence of traditional medicine methods is the same as traditional medicine: relieving swelling, inflammation, stimulating nerve function, returning hand functions.

Treating CTS at home is a dangerous activity due to complications in the form of neuritis with the omission of treatment of serious causes, for example, arthritis or bone tuberculosis, as well as other diseases, however, it has a very effective effect in relieving symptoms.

The first remedy for carpal tunnel syndrome is special hand exercises, which can both relieve pain and prevent the onset of the disease:

First clench your fist with all your strength, and then unclench it, stretching your fingers out as much as possible.
Rotation with clenched fists in all directions.
Show with force a kind of ok sign by alternately applying all fingers to the thumb.
Place your palms facing each other with straight elbows in the form of a Chinese greeting and try to lower them as low as possible without moving your elbows or moving your arms away from your body.
Grasp the top of one hand from the back with the palm of the other in the transverse direction and bend the clasped arm. Now you need to try with all your might to straighten it, while providing maximum resistance with your clasping hand.

Rubbing and compresses are made with various warming compounds and compounds that improve blood circulation, promote the outflow of excess fluids from the limb and have an anti-inflammatory effect. Such compositions may contain components from hot foods, for example, pepper, mustard, vitamin-containing and healing ones such as sea buckthorn and aloe, relieving swelling - cucumber, salty foods.

Despite the availability and effectiveness of traditional methods, self-prescribed diagnosis and treatment must be checked and agreed upon with a neurologist in order to avoid complications, as well as not to miss any factors that caused the disease.

Prevention

If previously carpal tunnel syndrome worried primarily the elderly, whose limbs were distorted by arthritis, gout and suffered from disorders of the circulatory system and nervous system, and secondly, workers engaged in very hard and harmful physical labor, for example, logging, which involves with hypothermia and impact on the joints, today the main contingent of patients with this disease has changed dramatically. Nowadays, most people, regardless of age, are susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome, including schoolchildren.

This is caused by widespread long-term work on the computer, during which the hands are under severe tension and practically unchanged position for several hours. Once accustomed, a person may not even notice discomfort from overvoltage, but negative impact can cause improper development of muscles and ligaments with compression of both nerves and other internal parts brushes To prevent CTS, you can use very simple techniques:

At long work use a touchpad instead of a mouse at the computer, as it requires more movements and helps to warm up the hand and wrist joint area.
Use a wrist support, which aligns the position of your hand while working on the keyboard and prevents pinching a nerve.
From time to time, carry out preventive hand exercises, which were described above.
Before working your wrists for a long time, they need to be warmed up by stimulating blood circulation with gymnastics or a warm hand bath.
Children and teenagers should not be allowed to work on a computer for a long time, as this will cause not only disturbances in the development of the wrist joint, but also vision, as well as the musculoskeletal skeleton. While working, you need to do small general exercises every half hour.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve is compressed. The pathological process is accompanied by negative symptoms. Carpal (wrist syndrome) develops more often in women, but men also suffer from this pathology.

Damage to the median nerve is often associated with characteristics of professional activity, and often develops against the background of bad habits. How to protect your hands from nerve compression? How to recognize carpal tunnel syndrome in time? Let's figure it out.

General information

The carpal tunnel in the hand area is formed by the transverse ligament on the upper side, the carpal bones below and on the sides. Damage to the median nerve occurs when the anatomical canal is compressed. In the absence of pathological changes, nerves and tendons pass inside the tunnel; excess pressure provokes a narrowing of the cavity, damage to the sensitive branches responsible for the innervation of the fingers.

Why do women suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome more often than men? The carpal tunnel in the fair sex already, throughout life female body experiences many phenomena related to hormonal changes: menopause, pregnancy, taking hormonal contraceptives.

Causes of the disease

Doctors do not give an exact answer to the question about the origin of pathological processes in the carpal tunnel area. There are many factors that increase the risk of median nerve compression in the hand. With age, the risk of pathological changes increases. Often there are several negative factors, the disease is more acute.

Compression of the nerve in the wrist area occurs in the following cases:

microtrauma due to constant impact on the hand area (construction, repair work, the need for prolonged use of a computer);
swelling of tissues, stretching due to injury to the hand;
negative processes accompanied by deformation of the tendons and carpal tunnel against the background hormonal imbalances and some diseases (hypothyroidism, the appearance of osteophytes, menopause, pregnancy);
high degree of obesity;
poor blood supply to tissues due to smoking;
tumors in the wrist or carpal tunnel (lipoma, hemangioma, neurofibroma).

Many doctors consider carpal tunnel syndrome to be an occupational disease of programmers, system administrators, and webmasters. Previously pathology diagnosed at age 40 and later, now problems with the hands, compression of the median nerve often occurs in young people under 35 years of age.

First signs and symptoms

Negative signs initially appear only after prolonged exercise. As it progresses pathological process, with significant narrowing of the canal, the symptoms become more acute.

It is worth paying attention to the following signs:

numbness of fingers. Negative symptoms appear only at night, fingers from first to fourth are affected;
there is pain in the hand area, tingling;
Often patients feel as if they have “goosebumps” inside;
hands become weak.

With further compression of the nerves and tendons, new signs are added:

muscles atrophy;
It is more difficult to perform habitual hand movements than before;
it is impossible to make small, precise movements with your fingers;
if the case is severe, discomfort spreads to the forearm, elbow area, and shoulder.

Diagnostics

The following tests can help confirm or refute the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome:

Durkana.
Falena.
Tinelya.

Also carried out:

electrodiagnostics;
opposition test;
shaking your fingers to control sensitivity.

It is important to differentiate carpal tunnel syndrome from pathologies that have similar symptoms:

cervical radiculopathy;

Effective treatments

If compression of the anatomical canal in which nerves and tendons pass is confirmed, the doctor recommends complex therapy. The pathology is treated by a traumatologist-orthopedist and a neurologist.

Not only drug therapy is required, but also physiotherapy, therapeutic exercises, and limiting the load on the problem area. During treatment, you cannot engage in professional activities that involve monotonous movements of the arm and hand.

Medicines

Effective medicines reduce pain, remove swelling. The action of the compositions allows the compressed canal to return to its usual size and eliminates the cause for the development of negative symptoms.

drugs that relieve inflammation - . Potent tablets, ointments, gels prevent the spread inflammatory process to new areas, reduce swelling, and relieve pain in the problem area. Effective formulations: Diclofenac, Nise, Voltaren, Indomethacin, Acetylsalicylic acid, Ibuprofen, Ketoprofen, Naprofen. The selection of drugs is carried out by the attending physician: medications have contraindications for use; many formulations in tablet form irritate the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines and have a negative effect on the liver;
hormonal drugs to eliminate pain, break the chain of the inflammatory process. A short course of active treatment using Hydrocortisone and Prednisolone is recommended. Intra-articular injections are an effective method of eliminating inflammation and reducing pain. Hormonal drugs have more side effects than NSAIDs; long-term use often leads to irreversible damage in various parts of the body.

Other treatment methods supplement the use of medications:

electrophoresis with hydrocortisone and analgesics;
wearing special splints and orthoses to fix the affected hand in a physiological position;
at early stage pathology, weak pain syndrome Applying cold helps, reducing the load on the hands and fingers.

Folk remedies and recipes

Proven recipes:

compress from cabbage leaf to relieve swelling and reduce inflammation. The effectiveness of the procedure is increased by applying thin honey to the surface of a cut cabbage leaf. Combination of beekeeping product and cabbage juice has a positive effect not only with carpal tunnel syndrome, but also with arthritis, rheumatism, gout, periarthritis of the shoulder joint;
contrast baths with chamomile infusion, sea salt, sage infusion. Each product has a positive effect on the condition of the hands, reducing swelling and inflammation. To prepare a decoction of medicinal herbs, pour a tablespoon of the raw material into a liter of boiling water, let it brew for an hour, and strain. Hand bath with sea salt – 2 liters warm water plus two tablespoons of a healthy product. The duration of the procedure is no more than a third of an hour, the water temperature is no higher than +36 degrees;
compress with horseradish leaves. Another simple way to reduce pain in a problem hand. Before use, immerse the washed leaves in boiling water for a minute, shake off the water, cool, wrap the affected area, and leave for 45 minutes. After the procedure, apply nourishing cream. If the skin of your hands is tender and flaky, it is advisable to lubricate your hands with vegetable oil before the treatment session;
diuretic tea against tissue swelling. Stopping excess pressure on the anatomical tunnel is the main goal of therapy. There are many recipes for teas and herbal decoctions, accelerating the removal of excess fluid from the body. Medicinal herbs, fruits and berries do a good job: dill, lingonberries, parsley, cornflower, bearberry. Useful action Corn silk, wild strawberry, horsetail, and knotweed provide benefits. Diuretic berries and herbs are used with caution. There are restrictions: in particular, active removal of fluid using traditional medicine and drugs is prohibited during pregnancy.

Important! The use of traditional methods complements drug therapy, physiotherapy, but does not replace them. In difficult cases, only surgical treatment helps. The operation removes compression of the problem area. The surgeon partially or completely cuts the transverse ligament, and the lumen of the anatomical canal is restored.

Possible complications

Not all patients turn to a neurologist and orthopedist-traumatologist on time, especially when mild pain in a periodic brush. The longer the start of treatment is delayed, the higher the risk severe defeat median nerve.

At advanced cases nerve fibers atrophy, finger mobility is impaired due to lack of innervation. Untimely therapy often leads to loss of sensitive and motor function fingers.

Find out more about characteristic features and methods of treating the knee joint.

Effective options for treating rheumatoid arthritis at home using folk remedies are described on the page.

Go to the address and read about the benefits and use of the decoction bay leaf for joints.

Prevention measures

Carpal tunnel syndrome interferes with normal activities and manifests itself as discomfort in the hand. Every person should know preventive measures to reduce the risk of pathological changes in the hand area.

How to proceed:

stop smoking: lack of nutrition worsens the condition of blood vessels and nerve fibers;
take breaks from working at the computer, remember to take a five-minute rest every hour, and do not forget about exercises for your hands and fingers;
Relax your arms and hands more often when painting and plastering. Builders and repairmen should massage their hands and, after a shift, apply ointments and gels with a cooling, anti-edematous effect;
properly equip the workplace to minimize stress on the hands. When working at a computer for a long time, armrests to support your elbows are required;
be sure to use a mouse pad, place the brush further from the edge, maintain the bend angle in the elbow area at 90 degrees;
exercise every day, do exercises. Good condition musculoskeletal system, the elasticity of the ligaments reduces the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome;
control body weight. The less extra pounds, the lower the load on joints and cartilage tissue;

Video. Elena Malysheva about carpal tunnel syndrome: