When a patient presents with “Carpal Tunnel” like symptoms, first and foremost we need a correct diagnosis. Irritation of the median nerve typically affects the first three fingers on the front of the hand. Symptoms can include numbness, tingling, and pain along with hand grip and thumb weakness. Although these are symptoms on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, other conditions can cause similar symptoms.
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When someone is suffering from carpal tunnel, what are the typical complaints? When they present to our office, how do we diagnose it? Carpal tunnel syndrome is irritation of the median nerve at the transverse carpal ligament, also known as the carpal tunnel. When this irritation happens it will cause irritation primarily in the first three fingers.
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You may be surprised to learn that degenerative disc disease is a part of the normal aging process. As we age, our discs lose some of their water content and become less supple. This makes them appears darker on an MRI. And when they appear darker on MRI, you guessed it; they are labeled as degenerative.
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The average human head weighs about 8 pounds. Each day we all walk around with a bowling ball (our head) balancing on a toothpick (our neck). We are designed this way to allow for the full range of motion we all know and love. Even under the best circumstances, this places a lot of stress on our spine. But leaning forward even just 15 degrees pushes that weight up to 30 pounds, and with a 30 degree tilt its closer to 40 pounds!
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Pain in your hand, wrist, or arm can be frustrating. You don’t realize how much you use your arms and hands each second of the day until pain, numbness, or tingling gets in the way. But, getting rid of the pain may be easier than you think.
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Staying connected to friends and family is easier than ever with social media. The tradeoff is that your daily screen time may be 1, 2, 3 hours or more. And let’s face it, a lot of those hours online are spent in an awkward forward head posture that experts have begun to call “tech neck.” It can result in neck pain, headaches, spinal disc issues, and even pinched nerves.
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