Carpal tunnel syndrome

Finding relief from rotator cuff soreness and carpal tunnel pain

I came to Dr. Shmuel Tatz’s office after spending 14 months trying numerous remedies for rotator cuff soreness and carpal tunnel pain.

I had tried acupuncture, massage, Chinese cupping, chiropractic, and nothing had worked yet, and the problem was getting worse. I was ready to begin physical therapy.

Upon entering Dr. Tatz’s welcoming office and reading the glowing testimonials on the wall, I felt that this would be the place where I would find a successful remedy for my injuries. The rotator cuff damage came from yoga and the carpal tunnel pain from working on a computer too many hours a day.

Dr. Tatz’s reception staff is hospitable and polite. I felt welcomed the moment I walked in. The office is filled with photos of former patients, many of them professional musicians and actors. The office background music was a string quartet playing Mozart, which was very pleasant.

It is Dr. Tatz himself who performs the real magic. It was wonderful to be greeted by such a friendly happy practitioner.  He is full of energy and performed standing exercises with me for 20 minutes. I also learned how to walk properly and how to stand correctly. Lift the heels and swing the arms forward and back. Dr. Tatz looks at the whole body. He was smiling the entire time and we were both swinging our arms and bending our knees. He was a joyful good mood that was infectious. I felt confident that my problems would be solved with Dr. Tatz’s guidance.

Next I went into the treatment room where he did deep tissue massage on my neck and shoulders, which I found to be very relaxing. He urged me to practice the exercises throughout the day, whenever I had the time, and to take breaks from typing after 50 minutes.

By Heather White

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Explained and Illustrated with Exercises

Do you feel numbness or weakness in your hands when you wake up or go to sleep? Do you have trouble holding or grasping objects, like a leash or the lid of jar? You may suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), a musculoskeletal disorder associated with but not necessarily caused by repetitive movement of the wrist in a workplace or at one’s leisure. Certain conditions such as obesity, arthritis, diabetes, thyroid disease, and trauma are all proven to be triggering factors to CTS.

CTS most commonly affect people who work with their hands. Women in manufacturing industries, musicians, and people who work with computers are commonly at risk. CTS is the second most common reason, after back-pain, for seeking medical care, among both men and women. People with CTS commonly complain of numbness, tingling, or pain of the wrist, often at night and aggravated by repetitive motion. If not treated, people with CTS can lose their ability to grip and become permanently disabled.

As you can see in the diagram below, the median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel, a narrow passageway on the inner surface of the wrist, where muscle-flexing tendons pass through to the digits of the hand. The problems arise when the tendons become inflamed, either through repetitive use or other factors, such as those listed above, compressing the median nerve. This causes symptoms that are often, though not necessarily, attributed to CTS.

“A common nerve disorder that often appears alongside carpal tunnel syndrome is trigger finger, where swelling of the tendons of the index finger or thumb results in soreness or locking of the digit in a flexed position,” writes John Hopkins Health. De Quervian’s disease is another possibility.

cts

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