Almost everyone has heard of carpal tunnel in Lakewood, CO and many people may know someone who was unfortunate enough to develop the condition. In fact, millions of people across the country and many in Lakewood, CO alone are currently suffering from the syndrome. As prevalent as carpal tunnel may be, many people remain unfamiliar with its signs, symptoms, and most importantly the best treatment choices. Dr. Jason Jumper at Renew Chiropractic in Lakewood has the experience and knowledge to provide you with the most important and accurate information regarding this condition. Starting with this article, Dr. Jason Jumper at Renew Chiropractic in Lakewood will help you begin down the right path to relief of carpal tunnel syndrome.
What Does Carpal Tunnel Feel Like?
To understand what carpal tunnel syndrome feels like, it is first important to understand what the carpal tunnel is. As the name implies, the carpal tunnel can be thought of as a connective tissue passageway for many important structures traveling from your neck to your wrist. Within the tunnel lies many important ligaments and tendons supplying the hand, but most importantly the median nerve. The median nerve is the largest of three nerves that control movement and sensations in the hand, such as pain. Anything that causes pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the tunnel can begin to produce the symptoms of carpal tunnel. Typically, this pressure is due to repetitive work involving the wrist, but can also be caused by obesity, pregnancy, disease process such as rheumatoid arthritis, and injuries to the wrist.
Many symptoms can be associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, but some have been found to be more common than others. Dr. Jason Jumper at Renew Chiropractic in Lakewood has commonly seen patients complain of tingling, numbness, and pain throughout the hand as one of the first symptoms. Often these sensations are worse at night and not experienced in the pinky finger since this digit receives its nerve supply from a different nerve. Another important thing to remember about carpal tunnel syndrome is that the symptoms for some people typically begin as slight and other people describe the sensations as severe. In addition to the tingling, numbness, and pain a few patients have come into the office with enlarged fingers due to swelling.
Carpal tunnel syndrome typically effects the hand that a person uses most often, but both hands can be involved especially if the root cause is a vertebrae out of place in the spine.
Dr. Jason Jumper at Renew Chiropractic in Lakewood has seen a variety of patients present with carpal tunnel syndrome, so it is important to remember that it can affect anyone. However, it has been noticed that people who work in factories or on assembly lines performing repetitive tasks are more at risk. People involved in meat packing/preparation, sewing, construction, automotive work, and cleaning are especially prone to the development of carpal tunnel. It has been observed that carpal tunnel typically effects men more than woman, with woman being as much as 4X as likely to develop this condition. This is believed to be due to differences in anatomy between men and woman, with woman having a smaller carpal tunnel for the median nerve to travel through. Finally, patients with diabetes have been observed to develop the condition more than others. If you or a loved one suffers with carpal tunnel syndrome call Dr. Jason Jumper at Renew Chiropractic in Lakewood at 720-493-5885.