Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful disorder of the hand caused by pressure on your median nerve as it runs through the Carpal Tunnel of the wrist. Symptoms include numbness, pins and needles, and pain (particularly at night). Anything that causes swelling inside the wrist can cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, including repetitive hand movements, pregnancy and arthritis. 

Your carpal Tunnel protects vital structures such as the median nerve, blood vessels and tendons as they pass to and from your hand. The palm side of your wrist has a band of strong ligaments (flexor retinaculum) that attach to the carpal (wrist) bones at either side. The rear of the tunnel is a curved compilation of the wrist bones.

What's the Cause of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome symptoms begin when the pressure inside the tunnel becomes too high. This results in your median nerve becoming compressed as it passes through the small tunnel. 

The carpal tunnel pressure increase occurs when either of two things happens:

• The tunnel space decreases, such as when the wrist swells eg after a traumatic injury, partial subluxation of the carpal bones or fracture or tenosynovitis.
• When the contents of the tunnel (median nerve, blood vessels and tendons) enlarge. 

Both of these situations increase the pressure on the nerve, leading to the carpal tunnel symptoms.

TENS Unit therapy can be an amazing method for dealing with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! The mix of hand and wrist exercises, a suitable splint and rest is an amazing way to manage pain and see results within weeks.

The core of the method is the TENS machine, stretching/exercises, rest and lastly movement restriction. You need to find a balance of repairing and resting whilst maintaining strength and increasing mobility.

The TENS  unit is in charge of “repairing” the tendon. This is done by reducing the swelling of the nerve.

The Splint is in charge of the resting periods. The splints or brace is designed to keep the hand/wrist in a specific place and not restricting any movement. (which triggers your CTS) When the splint is on it should calm the pain down.

The hand and wrist exercises are vital because this is where you gain strength and mobility back in the wrist, hand and fingers.

The addition of hot & cold therapy has worked very well for some people so this could also be added to the method. Hot & cold therapy is a little harder to use in conjunction with the electrodes from the TENS unit whilst also utilizing the splint.

TENS machines (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) work by sending tiny electrical currents to the nerves through the surface of the skin. If you would like to know more in-depth about TENS unit technology.

When the TENS Unit is on, you will feel a gentle tingling sensation that is comparable to a message. This sensation will replace the pain you feel in the hand, wrist and arm.

To get the optimal results from using a TENS machine, it is best to make sure the electrodes are placed in the correct location.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a burden, but it can be treated naturally with the combination of targeted rest, a wrist splint, hand exercises and a TENS Machine.

Most importantly (to our customers) there are absolutely no side effects whilst using our TENS Units.

Get your TechCare Tens Unit Today to Help Your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!