Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) affects 1 in 20 Americans. If you are suffering from a pins and needles feeling in your palm or fingers, occupational therapy may be able to help. The occupational therapists at Elite Integrated Therapy Centers regularly treat CTS for patients in the Anderson, Greenville, and Spartanburg, SC area. Read on to learn more about how we can help you.
Diagnosis
If you are experiencing symptoms commonly associated with carpal tunnel, visit our occupational therapists for an evaluation. Thanks to our expertise in the movement and function of the body, we will be able to determine the cause of your symptoms and recommend the best course of action to relieve them. Diagnosing CTS is often fairly straight-forward, though there are a number of tests we may conduct. These include testing your wrist and hand range-of-motion, grip strength, senses and reflexes, wrist flexion, Tinel’s sign, and more. It’s important to also have your neck and spine examined to ensure your pain is not originating from an issue somewhere else.
Treatment
Following your evaluation, our occupational therapists will prescribe a treatment plan. These programs will often involve a combination of strategies, such as stretching exercises, strengthening exercises, hot\cold therapy, and the use of a splint at night.
Depending on a patient’s occupation, therapists might visit their workplace to troubleshoot their workspace. For example, patients who sit at a desk job should properly align their keyboard to avoid working with bent wrists. For those who work with tools, adding material to increase the size of the tool for a more comfortable grip or wrapping it in anti-vibration padding may be a solution. We may also inquire about your leisure activities.
Our goal is to hopefully improve your CTS through occupational therapy without the need for surgery. However, if you are not diagnosed until the condition has already become severe, our occupational therapists my refer you for a surgical consultation. If you undergo surgery, occupational therapy will be used post-operation to restore strength in your wrist and educate you about how to avoid the issues that brought about your CTS in the first place.
Contact Us
When it comes to CTS, not all occupational therapists are created equal. For the best results, you will want to work with therapists who have experience with arm and hand musculoskeletal disorders or are knowledgeable in ergonomics. Here at Elite Integrated Therapy Centers, our team members cover a wide range of credentials to help patients with all manners of conditions. If you are ready to begin treatment to relieve your CTS, contact our occupational therapists today!
