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Chronic Pain
Alternative Medicine Can Help Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Sufferers
Date: 19/09/07
Keywords: Vitamins
Fortunately, alternative medicine can offer CTS sufferers natural pain relief without the risks of drugs or surgery. As well as being just as effective as conventional approaches, if not more so, natural methods can address the underlying causes of inflammation and provide a more permanent solution to the problem...That persistent tingling sensation in your fingers could be the first sign of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a painful condition that currently affects around five per cent of the UK population and its on the increase. Women suffering with CTS outnumber male sufferers three to one and the risk increases for those over the age of forty (JAMA 1999; 282: 153-158).
The condition results when inflammation causes pressure on the median nerve as it passes from your arm into your hand, through a narrow space formed by your wrist bones and a fibrous ligament the carpal tunnel.
The first sign of CTS is often a sensation of cramp or pins and needles in your hand or wrist. The symptoms, which become progressively worse over a period of a few months, include weakness in your hand, clumsiness, numbness, tingling, and pain that can radiate up into your arm and shoulder. To make matters worse, sleepless nights often result because the pain typically gets worse at night.
The condition is an occupational hazard for people who perform heavy, repetitive, manual tasks, such as assembly line work. Pregnant women are also at greater risk from CTS, since pregnancy causes an increased supply of fluid to the extremities, which can cause swelling and pressure in the carpal tunnel. Some people appear to be more prone to this disorder simply because they were born with a smaller, narrower carpal tunnel in which nerve irritation is more likely.
Symptoms often return within a year of taking conventional treatments
Left untreated, CTS can ultimately cause nerve and muscle damage, so its important to seek medical confirmation of symptoms if theyve persisted for more than a few weeks.
Conventional treatment for the condition usually takes what is described as a conservative approach at first. This involves using hot and cold packs on the wrist to reduce swelling, wearing a wrist support or splint and taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen. If these methods fail to bring relief, injections of corticosteroids into the wrist may be tried next. But these drugs can have serious side effects and, although conservative treatment may give short term relief, relapses are common. In one study, a staggering 89 per cent of patients treated this way suffered a recurrence of symptoms within a year (Rheumatology 2005; 44(5): 647-650).
Another orthodox treatment approach involves surgery to cut the carpal ligament, which forms the roof of the carpal tunnel, so relieving the pressure. Although this procedure can provide instant relief, like the other conventional approaches it simply treats the symptoms and does not get to the root of the problem. So, once one wrist has been operated on, the condition may start up in the other or it may recur once scar tissue has grown in the carpal tunnel after the operation. Due to the invasive nature of surgery, it comes with the risk of infection, nerve damage, scar pain and stiffness.
Fortunately, alternative medicine can offer CTS sufferers natural pain relief without the risks of drugs or surgery. As well as being just as effective as conventional approaches, if not more so, natural methods can address the underlying causes of inflammation and provide a more permanent solution to the problem.
Vitamin B6 may be the missing ingredient for sufferers
CTS is frequently associated with a deficiency of vitamin B6 and several clinical trials have found that sufferers experience considerable relief when given 100mg of the vitamin three times a day (J Am Acad Nurse Pract 2003; 15(1): 1822; Nutr Rev 2004; 62(3): 96104).
Most doctors assume that people with CTS who respond to vitamin B6 supplementation do so because they were deficient in the vitamin to start with, as this is a common nutritional deficiency. However, one group of researchers found that vitamin B6 dramatically reduced pain in people with CTS who did not appear to be B6-deficient (J Am Coll Nutri 1993; 12: 7376).
The vitamin is thought to work by reducing inflammation and increasing your brains production of the nerve chemical GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which damps down pain sensations.
Take 300mg of vitamin B6 each day for no longer than three months, then take 50mg daily as a maintenance dosage. But take care vitamin B6 can be toxic at high levels, so it is important not to use more than the recommended amount or continue a high dosage beyond the three month period.
Talk to your doctor if you experience any side effects, such as tingling in your toes. Because the members of the B-group of vitamins all work together in the body, you should also take a daily B-complex supplement remember to count the B6 in this into your 300mg daily total.
How the silkworm could herald a breakthrough in providing relief from symptoms
Enzymes that break down proteins in the body also have the effect of reducing inflammation the underlying cause of CTS. Early studies concentrated on bromelain, an enzyme from the pineapple plant, which is very effective at reducing inflammation and pain (J Dent Med 1964; 19: 73-77,).
More recently, interest has focused on another enzyme, called serrapeptase. This is produced by bacteria that live in the gut of the silkworm and dissolves its thick cocoon, allowing the silk moth to emerge.
In one study carried out in India, 65 per cent of CTS patients given 10mg of serrapeptase twice daily for six weeks experienced significant improvements in their symptoms. These findings were backed up by the results of electro-physiological tests, showing improvements in nerve and muscle function (J Assoc Phys India 1999; 47(12): 1170-1172).
Other complementary therapies can also help. Although the thought of having needles stuck in you may make you run a mile, dont ignore the benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of CTS. In one trial, an amazing eighty-three per cent of people treated with acupuncture (some of whom had previously undergone surgery) experienced complete relief from CTS symptoms. Whats more, the improvement continued through two to eight years of follow-up (Am J Acup 1990; 18: 59).
Back to topThe condition results when inflammation causes pressure on the median nerve as it passes from your arm into your hand, through a narrow space formed by your wrist bones and a fibrous ligament the carpal tunnel.
The first sign of CTS is often a sensation of cramp or pins and needles in your hand or wrist. The symptoms, which become progressively worse over a period of a few months, include weakness in your hand, clumsiness, numbness, tingling, and pain that can radiate up into your arm and shoulder. To make matters worse, sleepless nights often result because the pain typically gets worse at night.
The condition is an occupational hazard for people who perform heavy, repetitive, manual tasks, such as assembly line work. Pregnant women are also at greater risk from CTS, since pregnancy causes an increased supply of fluid to the extremities, which can cause swelling and pressure in the carpal tunnel. Some people appear to be more prone to this disorder simply because they were born with a smaller, narrower carpal tunnel in which nerve irritation is more likely.
Symptoms often return within a year of taking conventional treatments
Left untreated, CTS can ultimately cause nerve and muscle damage, so its important to seek medical confirmation of symptoms if theyve persisted for more than a few weeks.
Conventional treatment for the condition usually takes what is described as a conservative approach at first. This involves using hot and cold packs on the wrist to reduce swelling, wearing a wrist support or splint and taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen. If these methods fail to bring relief, injections of corticosteroids into the wrist may be tried next. But these drugs can have serious side effects and, although conservative treatment may give short term relief, relapses are common. In one study, a staggering 89 per cent of patients treated this way suffered a recurrence of symptoms within a year (Rheumatology 2005; 44(5): 647-650).
Another orthodox treatment approach involves surgery to cut the carpal ligament, which forms the roof of the carpal tunnel, so relieving the pressure. Although this procedure can provide instant relief, like the other conventional approaches it simply treats the symptoms and does not get to the root of the problem. So, once one wrist has been operated on, the condition may start up in the other or it may recur once scar tissue has grown in the carpal tunnel after the operation. Due to the invasive nature of surgery, it comes with the risk of infection, nerve damage, scar pain and stiffness.
Fortunately, alternative medicine can offer CTS sufferers natural pain relief without the risks of drugs or surgery. As well as being just as effective as conventional approaches, if not more so, natural methods can address the underlying causes of inflammation and provide a more permanent solution to the problem.
Vitamin B6 may be the missing ingredient for sufferers
CTS is frequently associated with a deficiency of vitamin B6 and several clinical trials have found that sufferers experience considerable relief when given 100mg of the vitamin three times a day (J Am Acad Nurse Pract 2003; 15(1): 1822; Nutr Rev 2004; 62(3): 96104).
Most doctors assume that people with CTS who respond to vitamin B6 supplementation do so because they were deficient in the vitamin to start with, as this is a common nutritional deficiency. However, one group of researchers found that vitamin B6 dramatically reduced pain in people with CTS who did not appear to be B6-deficient (J Am Coll Nutri 1993; 12: 7376).
The vitamin is thought to work by reducing inflammation and increasing your brains production of the nerve chemical GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which damps down pain sensations.
Take 300mg of vitamin B6 each day for no longer than three months, then take 50mg daily as a maintenance dosage. But take care vitamin B6 can be toxic at high levels, so it is important not to use more than the recommended amount or continue a high dosage beyond the three month period.
Talk to your doctor if you experience any side effects, such as tingling in your toes. Because the members of the B-group of vitamins all work together in the body, you should also take a daily B-complex supplement remember to count the B6 in this into your 300mg daily total.
How the silkworm could herald a breakthrough in providing relief from symptoms
Enzymes that break down proteins in the body also have the effect of reducing inflammation the underlying cause of CTS. Early studies concentrated on bromelain, an enzyme from the pineapple plant, which is very effective at reducing inflammation and pain (J Dent Med 1964; 19: 73-77,).
More recently, interest has focused on another enzyme, called serrapeptase. This is produced by bacteria that live in the gut of the silkworm and dissolves its thick cocoon, allowing the silk moth to emerge.
In one study carried out in India, 65 per cent of CTS patients given 10mg of serrapeptase twice daily for six weeks experienced significant improvements in their symptoms. These findings were backed up by the results of electro-physiological tests, showing improvements in nerve and muscle function (J Assoc Phys India 1999; 47(12): 1170-1172).
Other complementary therapies can also help. Although the thought of having needles stuck in you may make you run a mile, dont ignore the benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of CTS. In one trial, an amazing eighty-three per cent of people treated with acupuncture (some of whom had previously undergone surgery) experienced complete relief from CTS symptoms. Whats more, the improvement continued through two to eight years of follow-up (Am J Acup 1990; 18: 59).
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