Carpal Tunnel Syndrome refers to a variety of symptoms, including numbness, tingling and pain in the hand, wrist and arm and associated weakness or wasting away of hand muscles that are supplied by the median nerve. Symptoms primarily affect the palm side of the thumb, index and middle fingers.


Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when tendons in the wrist become inflamed after being aggravated.  A tunnel of bones and ligaments in the wrist narrows, pinching nerves that reach the fingers and the muscle at the base of the thumb.  Nerves passing through the carpal tunnel (at the wrist) get pinched, however, the nerves may be pinched at several points from the neck down to the fingers such as the cervical spine, trapezius region (thoracic outlet), shoulder, elbow, forearm and/or wrist. This phenomenon is called Double Crush and is often overlooked by healthcare providers outside of chiropractic.


When there is a misalignment of one or more of the spinal bones in the neck, the brain is not able to send a strong, steady nerve current to the arm and hand. This imperfect nerve flow can cause an inflammation or swelling of the median nerve, which is then easily irritated within the wrist by repetitive movement. The result is the numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.


To date the medical community does not agree about the causes of Carpal Tunnel, but there is evidence that chiropractic care can help. Through gentle manipulation, chiropractic realigns the spinal bones in the neck, relieving the pressure on the nerves, allowing for a strong nerve current to flow from the brain. Carpal tunnel symptoms are often related to a reversed cervical curve that places tension along the spinal cord and cervical nerves as they pass down the arm. This fact is often overlooked by medical doctors and may explain why carpal tunnel surgery often fails to relieve the patient's symptoms.