Acupuncture for Carpal Tunnel
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common form of peripheral entrapment syndromes. An entrapment syndrome is neuropathy due to a structural abnormality, such as compression, displacement, or traction of the nerve, or by an intrinsic abnormality of the nerve, such as a nerve cell tumor (1). Carpal tunnel syndrome, is characterized by numbness, tingling, hand pain, and muscular dysfunction. In the majority of the cases carpal tunnel syndrome present with a compression of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist. The median nerve provides sensation and movement to the lateral side of the hand. This includes the lateral side of the palm, the first finger (thumb), the second finger (index), the third finger (middle finger), and the lateral side of the fourth finger (ring finger).
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Medline Plus (2).
This disfunction is present in about 3-5 people of every 100 persons in the United States, and the incidence is more prevalent in women (3). Symptoms are typically most troublesome at night. Carpal tunnel syndrome when left untreated, causes loss of sensibility, weakness and atrophy of the muscles at the base of the thumb (4). Patients usually complain of pain and loss of strength in their grip.
Acupuncture has proven to be useful in treating symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (5)(6). Controlled clinical studies, have shown that people with carpal tunnel syndrome after being treated with acupuncture, using filiform needles with and without electrical stimulation have significant improvement. Patients reported decrease both in symptoms and intensity. After treatment, grip strength increased significantly and electrophysiology evaluation indicated a significant increase in the distal median motor amplitude of the palm-wrist segment (7).
What to spect of the acupuncture treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
If you are new to acupuncture I suggest you to first read the FAQ’s section here.
The way I have treated carpal tunnel in the past, the most common treatment consists on the insertion of a couple of needles around the palm side of the wrist that could be stimulated with electricity, but not necessarily. The treatment also include some points on the elbow area and, depending on the case, some points around the shoulder. Beside this “main points” the treatment will include points on the legs to treat the entire constitution of the patient. In acupuncture, every patient is treated accordingly to she’s/he’s constitution to facilitate the individual healing process. In the first appointment we will do some orthopedic tests to discern if the pain is actually coming from nerve entrapment. The typical treatment includes Tuina (Chinese Medical Massage) and takes around 10 appointments to see significant changes, but you should spect to see some improvement form the first visit.
References:
(1) Miller, T., Reinus, W. American Journal of Roentgenology. Nerve Entrapment Syndromes of the Elbow, Forearm, and Wrist. (2010). Vol. 195 Num. 3. Retrieved from: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/full/10.2214/ajr.10.4817. March 24, 2022.
(2) Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Medline Plus. Retrieved from: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000433.htm. February 17, 2022.
(3) Bickel K. D. Science Direct. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The Journal of Hand Surgery. Volume 35 Issue 1. (2010). Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0363502309009496?via%3Dihub. February 15, 2022.
(4) Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Fact Sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2016). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm#227043049. February 17, 2022.
(5) Khosrawi S., Moghtaderi A., Haghighat S. Acupuncture in treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome: A randomized controlled trial study. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences : The Official Journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. (2012). Retrieved form: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3523426/. February 17, 2022.
(6) Yao, E., Gerritz, P. K., Henricson, E., Abresch, T., Kim, J., Han, J., ... & Zhao, H. (2012). Randomized controlled trial comparing acupuncture with placebo acupuncture for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. PM&R, 4(5), 367-373. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1934148212000317. February 17, 2022.
(7) Ho, C. Y., Lin, H. C., Lee, Y. C., Chou, L. W., Kuo, T. W., Chang, H. W., ... & Lo, S. F. (2014). Clinical effectiveness of acupuncture for carpal tunnel syndrome. The American journal of Chinese medicine, 42(02), 303-314. Retrieved from: https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0192415X14500207?casa_token=AVBgvBz8hbAAAAAA:ydg2J7gQI9S9Q6HebIzWhes-AMyDag3atVgX6B5JYj3oTGaxDnVjHLVGHKVJC7ubh5vjkX644czU. February 17, 2022.