Hand Pain and Its Causes
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: When hand pain strikes, it can be a difficult problem to deal with since we use our hands for so much; our work, our play. It can also be distressing psychologically to have a part of your body not working as it should.
Hand pain can be a difficult thing to diagnose since there are many causes of hand pain. One familiar cause is a carpal tunnel syndrome. This is where the bony tunnel in the wrist is narrowed, entrapping the nerves that pass through and go into the hand.
Another cause for hand pain is a thoracic outlet syndrome. The thoracic outlet can be compressed in the shoulder girdle region causing hand pain, often at night. 
The last thing to consider with hand pain is a neck problem such as a disk lesion compressing the nerves in the neck causing referred or radicular (nerve root) pain into the hand.
These three problems can independently cause hand pain or they can all co-exist to varying degrees. You are entitled to more than one cause, correct? Getting a proper diagnosis is the first key to a full correction of a problem. If your hand pain is being treated with analgesics (pain killers), there may be a reduction in pain sensations but pain medications cannot release an entrapped nerve. You might also want to consider that pain is a signal. The problem that is causing the pain should be a patient’s focus. When the fire alarm goes off at home do we think to put out the fire alarm, or put out the fire? Pain is the fire alarm, not the fire.
Recent research has shown that differentiating between these three unique disorders with clinical tests can be problematic, since false positive tests are more a rule, rather than an exception. Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome were one of the most frequently misdiagnosed groups of patients.
You may also need x-rays of your spine to fully get at the cause of your hand pain and determine the best course of action; pills, surgery or specific chiropractic care. Chiropractic is an often-overlooked conservative form of care. It carries very low risks, and should be a considered option for anyone who is considering bracing, medications or wrist surgery
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Can I Diagnose Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Myself?
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Clear Lake Doctor of Chiropractic comments: We are so used to fixing everyday problems ourselves in society today, that we sometimes do this when it comes to health care. The “can-do” American spirit of “pulling yourself up by your boot straps” is alive and well. We are bombarded by advertising messages that tell us if we have a pain in the wrist or back, then just go to the drug store and get some pills. The messages seem to make sense. If I have a problem with my wrist, then it must be carpal tunnel syndrome, right?
Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that hand and wrist pain or numbness can come from many 
different causes-some even very serious diseases such as cancer. Even a disease such as diabetes can show up as wrist or hand pain. There are also different types of arthritis that can show similar symptoms. Only through x-rays and laboratory tests can these distinctions be made.
Also at issue is the fact that long nerves run from your neck and spinal cord and down your arm to the hand. An injury anywhere along the course of this nerve, could make you feel pain in your fingers or hand. And then, of course, there are wrist traumas or repetitive motion injuries that can further complicate the picture.
This should illustrate to you how important a thorough diagnosis is before deciding on a cause for a problem and a course of action to get it resolved. Even a detailed history by a doctor will not be enough to determine if you have carpal tunnel syndrome. So if you’ve been diagnosed with this condition and the doctor failed to examine your wrist, the diagnosis can be incorrect. An astute doctor will use the history of the pain combined with very specific tests to determine how your wrist functions. We do these examinations too, but also include an analysis of the neck region, which can cause irritation to a nerve, that then produces hand symptoms.
Once you get the diagnosis correct, there are many options for treatment. Medications, splints, and surgery are tried by many with varying degrees of success. For those who want a more natural, and drug and surgery-free alternative, then chiropractic care is an excellent option to consider.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
