I frequently find that patients have compression in the carpal tunnel at their wrist(s), especially if their activities involve a lot of use of their hands.
This compression can develop slowly over time, prior to full-blown Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).
The carpal tunnel is a passageway through bones in the wrist. The median nerve goes through this passageway. With repetitive motion / overuse of the hand & wrist, this nerve can become impinged or irritated due to pressure on, or abrasion of, the nerve inside the tunnel. The irritated, inflamed nerve may swell, further complicating the situation.
Unrelieved, the end result can be the painful, and often difficult to resolve, condition of CTS.
When I find the aforementioned compression, I gently relieve it with the Activator instrument. In patients whom I know may be prone to this condition, I make it a habit to monitor their wrists.
