Acupuncture is an effective treatment option for a variety of health conditions. Various clinical trials and peer reviewed medical research has indicated that needle based treatments can provide lasting relief for patients that experience pain and numbness from carpal tunnel syndrome.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition where patients experience symptoms such as pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the forearm, hand, and/or fingers. This condition occurs when the median nerve, one of the major nerves that travels from the upper arm down to the hand, through the palmer side of the wrist, is squeezed or compressed. In most patients, carpal tunnel syndrome progressively gets worse over time as the nerve continues to be compressed. Frequently treatment options are limited to wearing a splint, over the counter pain relievers (such as ibuprofen), avoiding activities, and surgery if the symptoms progress and the patient is not responding to previous treatment options.

Acupuncture – An Overlooked Treatment Option for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

In addition to splinting, avoiding activities that compromise the carpal tunnel, and surgery, there are other non-invasive treatment options for carpal tunnel syndrome. Chiropractic manipulation, TENs unit therapy, corrective exercises, dry needling and acupuncture treatments are procedures that can help with carpal tunnel syndrome. These needle therapy options help to reduce pain, increase strength, and reduce abnormal neurological findings, including numbness and tingling.

In a world wide collaborative effort, researchers from China, Hong Kong, Texas, and Australia evaluated the peer reviewed medical research on the specific effect of acupuncture as it pertains to carpal tunnel syndrome. The journal, Clinical Rehabilitation, where the researchers published their findings on needle applications and carpal tunnel syndrome,  is a highly ranked, peer reviewed scholarly journal. The journal covers the whole field of disability and rehabilitation, publishing research and discussion articles which are scientifically sound, clinically relevant for clinicians worldwide.

Research Supporting Acupuncture for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Some of the highlights of their research includes:

• Their goal was to gather evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture and related procedures for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome
• The researchers reviewed the data from ten (10) randomized controlled studies/trials in order to report their findings
• When compared to conventional medications, “acupuncture showed significant superior effect in reducing symptoms than ibuprofen and prednisolone.”
• “Electroacupuncture [acupuncture with an electric current passed through the needles via a TENs unit] plus splinting was more effective in reducing symptom severity than splinting alone”
• “Acupuncture showed significantly superior effect than ibuprofen in improving functional status”
• “Triple treatment of acupuncture, magnetic spectrum heat lamp and splinting showed stronger pain relief than splinting alone”

The findings from this research report clearly indicate that acupuncture treatments should be included as a treatment option for individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome. The researchers boldly declare, “For both symptom relief and function improvement, manual acupuncture is superior to ibuprofen while electroacupuncture plus splinting outperforms splinting alone.”

Do you or someone you know experience carpal tunnel syndrome? If so, needle applications are an essential therapy to help with pain reduction and improved outcomes. Contact our office today to schedule with Dr. Reece Hayden in order to experience relief from carpal tunnel syndrome. We are conveniently located near Shepard and I-10, in the Heights Houston.