Carpal tunnel is a disorder caused by pressure being placed on the ulna nerve. This pressure could come from the bone, or soft tissue.
This disorder’s often seen in athletes who continually contract and expand their arm, for instance; golfers, quarterbacks, tennis players and baseball pitchers. People who sleep with their arm bend, or lean on their elbow against hard surfaces, may get carpal tunnel. Sometimes it’s a growth defect that causes this disorder to occur. Can obesity cause carpal tunnel? I will answer this question and more in the following paragraphs.
Symptoms
The symptoms of carpal tunnel include increased sensitivity, numbness or a prickly sensation in your extremity. This usually followed by pain that shoots down the affected limb. The extremity may become weak, which makes it hard to grip and to hold onto things.
If a person continues to neglect this issue, the muscle will continue to be damaged. The continued injury could make the muscle atrophy, or waste away. This shrinkage can make their hand contract into what many people describe as a claw like shape.
Treatments
The doctor may suggest you immobilize the affected extremity, to give it time to heal. This might include using some type of splint during the day and possible while you sleep if you sleep with your elbow bent. He might suggest an elbow pad to help reduce further injury.
As far as easing the pain, he might decide to do corticosteroid injections. This type of injection has proven to be effective with numerous painful inflammatory disorders. The medicine works by reducing the swelling and inflammation at the site.
The doctor will suggest you take an over the counter pain medicine like Motrin, alieve, naproxen. He might suggest Tylenol. Although it doesn’t reduce the swelling like the ibuprofenproducts do, it does decrease the pain. Tylenol don’t have as many harmful side effects with long term use the way ibuprofen does.
He might advise you to try either warm packs on the affected area to soothe ache muscles and ice packs to decrease the inflammation.
Another pain relief idea is a topical cream. The NSAD topical creams don’t have all the harmful side effects that oral NSAIDS do, but taken with its oral counterpart can cause stomach disorders.
He might recommend you to see a physical therapist so they can show you different exercises you can do to help increase muscle strength, and to receive ultrasound therapy to reduce inflammation and swelling.
Pain Relief the Natural Way
Many uses massaging oils to reduce pain and swelling. So I’ve made a list of the best oils to use.
Rose oil has a lovely scent and it is great at reducing pain
Black pepper is another pain reliever that works great.
Rosemary reduces pain
Eucalyptus helps with inflammation, swelling and pain. It helps people who have insomnia.
Kava besides pain, it helps with anxiety and fatigue.
Skull cap reduces pain, anxiety tension and stress.
Natural Herbs
Devils claw it reduces inflammation and pain.
Cramp bark to reduce pain
Passiflora is a natural muscle relaxant
White willow bark for pain management.
Meadowsweet is another pain reducer
Celery seed will help with insomnia and it decreases your appetite.
Eating More Often Helps you Lose Weight
Since being overweight can cause this disorder to occur your doctor might suggest a weight reduction program.
Many people associate weight reductionwith starving yourself. That doesn’t have to be the case. If fact starving yourself is not only a ridicules conception, it’s dangerous and nonproductive. It’s dangerous because not eating, or eating extremely small amounts, can cause nutritional deviancies, which will lead to other health issues.
It’s nonproductive because the moment you start eating again, you’ll gain back all that weight you lost. What I’m suggesting is choosing healthier choices, and eating smaller amounts more frequently, to add up to a total of 1800 calorie diet. These suggestions are coming from my own personal battle of being obese.
I love junk food, I could eat it for every meal. Knowing this was my biggest problem, I first tried to give up sweets all together, which lasted a whole two days. I decided to gradually cut down on the sweets, replacing my beloved candy with healthier choices, while still satisfied my sweet tooth with sweeter fruits.
Eventually, I was able to decrease my intake of sweets dramatically. This slow change didn’t rapidly shed the pounds, but I was able to break it down into small obtainable goals that got me to the bigger picture.
I also started substituting one fatty meat for leaner ones. I would also change a fatty meat for fish. Fish has a lot of omega 3 which is good fat, before long I found myself only eating healthier meat choices.
I started adding vegetables in my meals and eating whole grain cereals for breakfast. Vegetables have vitamins and antitoxins. The whole grains filled me up. I also started drinking water before meals. This too makes you feel fuller quicker, and it’s always good to rehydrate your body.
I suggested eating smaller meals, more frequently because it takes calories to digest food, and by eating smaller, healthier meals your body will more readily use the calories for fuel instead of storing it as fat.
Besides exchanging my poor eating habits, I found activates that I enjoyed. Like walking, swimming, dancing. Eventually I worked up to aerobics exercises.
I have a few exercise precautions I must add. Before you begin any exercise regimen, check with your doctor to find out what exercises are safe for you to do.
When you exercise don’t do the same thing every day. Because you are working some muscles, while neglecting others.
Be sure not to work out more than 5 days a week and don’t push yourself too hard. Overworking muscles cause stress on muscles and joints which can lead to other health issues.
My last suggestion, occasionally reward yourself for a job well done.
