Carpal Tunnel Treatment in Ayurveda
As in any other situation, ayurvedic protocol for management of carpal tunnel starts with assessing the individual’s body type or dosha type and other pre-existing illnesses. Combining this information with your individual stage of carpal tunnel syndrome, a customized ayurvedic management plan can be devised.
Carpal tunnel treatment in ayurveda starts with providing symptomatic pain relief to affected areas. Simultaneously, swelling of fibrous tissues in the wrist area is also targeted using ayurvedic herbs having anti-inflammatory property. Depending on your situation your practitioner may decide to resort to local application of ayurvedic paste or ayurvedic medicated oils (thailams) to treat inflammation. Other options are fomentation, nasyam, local dhara with ayurvedic oils, application of bolus made up of anti inflammatory herbs and abhyanga oil massage.
Challenges in Carpal tunnel treatment
Moderate conditions of carpal tunnel syndrome require about 21 days’ continuous ayurvedic therapy. Severe cases may require six to eight weeks of ongoing therapy.
Along with the ayurvedic therapy, it is absolutely essential to reduce the cause of your carpal tunnel syndrome to attain a quicker relief.
In simple terms, if the cause of your carpal tunnel syndrome is identified to have originated from continual keyboard use, you should stop using keyboard regardless of the the treatment regime you are following. This will definitely bring a quicker relief.
In the language of ayurveda, carpal tunnel treatment adopts methods to alleviate vitiated vata dosha in kapha sthaana. This is resorted to by herbs and therapies, an ayurvedic vata dosha reducing lifestyle, appropriate yoga asanas and an ayurveda diet.
Viswachi and Rujakarana marma treatments may also required in the ayurvedic package of things as per the judgment of the practitioner.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is not a single disease or manifestation, but is a group of disorders. In carpal tunnel syndrome, a median nerve is squeezed which passes through the wrist and controls the muscles responsible for the movement of thumb. In addition to movement, this nerve carries sensory information from fingers and thumbs and delivers it to brain. When this median nerve is squeezed, it creates pain, numbness or tingling effect on the impacted hand.
Carpel tunnel syndrome most commonly affects females as compared to males and this disease affects middle and older age people. Symptoms of carpel tunnel syndrome usually start appearing gradually. The most commonly observed symptoms are burning, tingling, or itching alone or with numbness in the palm and fingers of hand. The most commonly affected fingers are thumb, index and middle fingers. Some of the carpel tunnel syndrome patients also complain some kind of swelling and uselessness of their fingers. This may or may not be true in majority of the cases. All of the above mentioned symptoms worsen during the night.
Causes of Carpal tunnel syndrome
The most common causes observed for carpal tunnel syndrome is not the disease of median nerve itself. It occurs due to some kind of pressure on median nerve. This pressure damages the median nerve due to squeezing.
Genetics plays major role in occurrence of this disease. Other causes are trauma and any kind of injury that produces swelling.
Some other causes are diseases such as an over active pituitary gland, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, gout and rheumatoid arthritis. Disorders such as mechanical problems in the wrist joint and some physiological factors such as fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause are also known causes of carpal tunnel syndrome. Stress is also a well know cause of carpel tunnel syndrome.
Alternative methods for managing Carpal Tunnel syndrome
Apart from the conventional treatment options including that of surgical options, the following ideas can also be thought of for carpal tunnel management:
Exercise
A physical therapist’s supervised stretching and strengthening exercises can be helpful in people with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Yoga as carpal tunnel treatment option
Identifying a properly qualified and trained yoga teacher and practicing the right yoga asana may be helpful as a stand alone option or as a catalyst to other carpal tunnel treatment options.
Curcumin
Curcumin’s anti inflammatory properties are well known. Curcumin is found in the everyday kitchen spice turmeric. Please see this research study.
Disclaimer: Kindly note that details on this this page are for informational purposes only and using it for self treatment may be harmful. Kindly get in touch with an ayurvedic practitioner for further details about ayurvedic treatment and therapies.