Archive for the ‘carpal tunnel’ Category
Why Guitarists, Bassists, And Pianists Seek Chiropractic Treatment For Relief Of Carpal Tunnel Pain
When I became a chiropractor in Glendale, I discovered that my technical skills were surprisingly advanced due to the fact that I’d been a guitar player for more than fifteen years. Needless to say, my hand coordination was advanced! I also became aware of the hand problems that many musicians develop, like carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact, I was not only known as a Glendale Chiropractor, but I became known as “the music doctor” because musicians from all over started coming to see me to “fix” their hand problems. The pain relief and increased mobility that my patients experienced, and the carpal tunnel surgeries (often ineffective or worse!) that were avoided resulted in plenty of “thank yous.” In fact during the holiday season, I not only got numerous “fruit baskets” from my grateful patients, but plenty of “fruitcakes” from grateful insurance agencies who were compelled to spend far less each year in compensating for chiropractic treatment than they did for carpal tunnel surgeries!
Why do so many musicians, especially guitarists and pianists, experience carpal tunnel challenges in particular? Well, the carpal tunnel is located within the underside of the wrist! This “tunnel” or “passage” is the place through which the Median nerve passes on its way to affect and animate the hands and fingers. Nerve entrapment is often the result of the types of repetitive movements performed by many musicians. to be sure, such nerve entrapment disorder is quite common. The nerve is impinged between other tissues when the size of the tendon enlarges due to irritation and inflammation caused by overuse…long hours of practice, as well as extended performance, are generally the culprits. Plus, such activities can cause a misalignment of the carpal bones. Commonly, musicians development pain, numbness, pins and needles, and tingling in their fingers and hand(s), particularly their thumb and adjacent two fingers. Quite a few musicians routinely awaken from sleep with these symptoms. And, the absolutely disastrous effects for musicians is that CTS can make hands feel undexterous or weak, and fatigue quickly with activity. If treatment is not addressed, in due time, grasping small objects (like a guitar pick or the bow of a bass) with the thumb and fingers can be extremely affected. And, although the keen musician who has discovered the efficacy of chiropractic care would not allow this to happen, untreated Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can become the complete disability of the hand.
In addition to musicians, anyone else who is suffering from repetitive stress pain should see a chiropractor who is an expert when it comes to recognizing the symptoms and solving the problem, like your Glendale chiropractor. He can tell you more about the drug-free, natural approach of chiropractic care. Would you like to find out what chiropractic care can do for you? Then call a chiropractor today!