Carpal tunnel. The nerve can be pinched in three places. Check all of them.

Numbness and tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers usually gets called carpal tunnel. Sometimes it is. Often the median nerve is actually being compressed at the elbow or where it leaves the neck, and treating the wrist does nothing. We examine the whole path of the nerve before treating any of it.

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Your first visit
  • History and hands-on exam first
  • X-ray on site, only when the exam calls for it
  • A plain-language explanation and a plan, or a referral

What to expect →

Sound familiar?

What carpal tunnel usually feels like.

  • Numbness or tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers
  • Waking at night with a numb hand and shaking it out
  • Dropping things, or weakness in grip and pinch
  • Symptoms worse with driving, phone use or repetitive hand work
  • Aching in the forearm or wrist
  • Neck or shoulder stiffness on the same side

What's usually going on

The mechanics behind it.

The median nerve begins at the neck, runs through the shoulder, passes under a forearm muscle at the elbow, and finally goes through the carpal tunnel at the wrist. It can be compressed at any of those points, and the symptoms feel the same. A wrist brace helps wrist compression and does nothing for a neck or elbow cause. That's why so many people are frustrated: they've been treating the wrong spot.

The exam tests each site. True carpal tunnel at the wrist responds to wrist and carpal bone mobilization, soft-tissue release, splinting at night and cold laser for the inflamed tendons. Elbow and neck causes get treated where they are. Many people have mild compression at two sites, and relieving one is enough to drop below the symptom threshold.

How we treat it at Borealis

Find the cause. Treat it. Keep it from coming back.

1

Find the cause

Nerve tests at the wrist, elbow and neck, grip and pinch strength, sensation mapping, and an exam of the neck and shoulder. If significant nerve damage is suspected, we refer for nerve conduction testing.

2

Treat it

Mobilization of the carpal bones and wrist, release of the forearm muscles, adjusting of the neck when it's involved, and cold laser to the wrist. Night splinting when wrist compression is confirmed.

3

Keep it from coming back

Workstation and tool setup, grip and forearm stretching, and breaks built into repetitive work. If your job is the cause, that's a work-injury conversation and we'll have it.

Services involved ChiropracticMLS cold laserPhysiotherapy & rehabMassage therapy

Questions

What people ask about carpal tunnel.

Don't see yours? Call and ask. The front desk will get you an answer or put you through to a doctor.

Can I avoid surgery?
Many people can, especially if the compression is mild to moderate or isn't actually at the wrist. Severe, long-standing compression with muscle wasting usually does need surgical release, and we'll tell you if you're there.
Why are you examining my neck for my hand?
Because the nerve that supplies those fingers starts there. Neck involvement is common and gets missed when only the wrist is looked at.
Does a wrist brace help?
For wrist-level compression, a night splint that keeps the wrist straight helps. For elbow or neck causes it won't. Find out where the problem is before relying on one.
Is this a work injury?
If repetitive work caused it, it may be compensable under Wisconsin workers' compensation. See work injuries.

Describe it. We'll figure out the rest.

Call and talk to Dawn at the front desk, or walk in Monday through Thursday. You'll leave your first visit knowing what's going on.

Call (715) 748-4433 Get directions