If you don’t think carpal tunnel syndrome can go away on its own, there’s actually more hope than you’ve been thinking about this common and sometimes very painful condition.
Why doesn’t carpal tunnel syndrome ever resolve on its own?
“Actually, it can if it’s at a lesser stage with minimal nerve compression,” says Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS, a renowned hand and upper limb surgeon and owner of Badia Hand to Shoulder Center in Doral, FL., and founder of OrthoNOW, the only urgent orthopedic care franchise in the world.
CTS is caused by metabolic factors, says Dr. Badia.
“It’s not activity related for the most part, and if the thickening of the membrane diminishes, the pressure on the nerve will diminish and it can go away.”
How to Help Carpal Tunnel Go Away On Its Own
It wouldn’t literally be resolving on its own; you’d have to take certain measures.
“In the early stage if you wear a splint at night and avoid putting pressure on the nerve, particularly as you sleep, the symptoms often do go away,” says Dr. Badia.
“Incidentally if they do not, the only treatment is surgical, but it’s extremely easy, and there’s a huge amount of major misconceptions about this.
“It’s actually the easiest and most reliable procedure that any hand surgeon does.
“Over half of us do it endoscopically, meaning the incision can be less than a centimeter.
“Usually requires one absorbable stitch; that’s it, and totally outpatient.”
Patients are able to use their treated hand immediately in normal everyday functions, but pushups or similar motions that stress the wrist are restricted for two to three weeks.
Perhaps you’ve heard of a treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome in which the hand is placed, alternating fashion, in very warm water and then in icy water.
This may relieve pain but will not make the carpal tunnel syndrome go away; the water immersions will not release the median nerve from its compression.
Dr. Badia is a founding member of the American Hand Institute, a think tank and medical device start-up company focused on minimally invasive solutions to hand, wrist and elbow pathology. orthonowcare.com
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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