Have you been diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or recently had Carpal Tunnel Release surgery?
Check out our clinic to see what our team of Occupational Therapists can do for you!
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapists are trained in taking holistic approaches and working together with patients to help them regain or enhance their participation in activities of everyday life. In the outpatient orthopedic setting, they are the hand specialists of our clinic and are licensed to rehab upper extremity injuries.
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery?
Carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS, is one of the most common peripheral neuropathies of the upper extremity. Common causes of CTS include repetitive wrist flexion or extension, trauma to the wrist, fluid retention, and crush injuries. The degree of CTS can range from intermittent mild to severe and persistent symptoms. CTS can cause pain, tingling, or numbness in the thumb, index, middle, and part of the ring finger due to pressure on the median nerve.
In more severe cases of CTS, carpal tunnel release surgery may be recommended by your doctor. Carpal tunnel release surgery consists of a surgeon making an incision over the carpal tunnel ligament to relieve the pressure on the median nerve.
What does occupational therapy treatment consist of?
Research has found that resting the wrist and activity modifications can help decrease the symptoms of carpal tunnel. Once CTS symptoms have subsided, it is recommended to perform stretches, exercises, and nerve glides to further improve symptoms.
Our occupational therapists are not only skilled in fabricating wrist splints, but also will work together with you to identify an exercise program that will meet your needs to help alleviate the symptoms of carpal tunnel. These exercises can be used to help decrease pain, improve range of motion, and increase strength in both the hand and wrist. Additionally, we are able to identify soft tissue adhesions and release them by implementing different techniques including Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) and cupping to decrease scar tissue. But it doesn’t stop there! We also use a variety of thermal modalities to help decrease pain and inflammation.
Treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome include:
- Soft tissue mobilization
- Ergonomics training
- Exercise
- Stretches
- Manual therapy
- Thermal modalities
- Splinting
- Sensory re-education
- Scar management techniques (including cupping and IASTM)
- Electrical stimulation
- Ultrasound
Here at Progressive Therapy, our dedicated team of occupational therapists understand how important it is for you to get back to your day-to-day activities, and we want to help you reach your goals. If you recently had a CTS release or are trying to alleviate these symptoms without surgery, come see us for a personalized evaluation where our OT’s will determine the best treatment plan for you.