Facts About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Sleep

13 Aug

Have you ever woken up at night with numbness and tingling in your fingers and had to climb out of bed and shake your hands, flick your fingers, and/or rub your arms to “…wake them up?” Well, you’re not alone! In fact, this is one of the more common and often one of the FIRST symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). So, WHY does this happen?

The “carpal tunnel” is literally just a tunnel that MANY components of the body travel through on the way to the hand. The walls are made from eight small “carpal” bones and the “floor” of the tunnel is made by the transverse carpal ligament. These structures vary in size and shape and differ between males and females, which may be one reason CTS is more common among women than men. The contents of the tunnel include eight tendons that connect the muscles in the forearm to the index, third, ring, and pinky fingers. A ninth tendon that connects to the muscle that flexes the thumb also travels through the tunnel along with blood vessels. Perhaps most importantly, the median nerve that supplies sensation and strength to the palm side fingers (index, third and ring fingers) and the palm of the hand also travels through the carpal tunnel. The tendons to the fingers and thumb are “sheathed” and can swell due to the friction created by the tendon rapidly moving in the tight sheath. This is one reason why people who work in an occupation that requires fast, repetitive hand movements (such as assembly line work, carpentry, food preparation, for example) will often have problems with carpal tunnel syndrome.

The pressure inside the wrist normally doubles when it is fully bent either forwards or backwards. However, because there is already greater pressure in the affected carpal tunnel of individuals with CTS (due to swollen tendons, for example), the pressure inside the carpal tunnel can increase much more when the wrist is bent. This added pressure can exacerbate the symptoms normally associated with CTS — including numbness and tingling in the hands and fingers — especially when the wrist is bent for a prolonged period of time, such as during sleep.

Treatment associated with carpal tunnel syndrome includes the use of a night wrist cock-up splint, which keeps the wrist from flexing or extending during sleep and helps the swelling inside the carpal tunnel abate. Cock-up splints are not typically worn during the day, as they tend to interfere too much with normal activity and may actually worsen the condition depending on the length of time and the type of work the person is performing. Driving will often increase symptoms, and use of the cock-up splint can be effective during this time.

Chiropractic management offers a unique form of treatment called manipulation and mobilization that is applied to the fingers, hand, wrist, forearm, and any other area where nerve compression might be present, which frequently includes the cervical spine/neck region. The shoulder and elbow may also require care.

 

Anti-inflammatory measures including ice massage over the wrist and anti-inflammatory herbal preparations such as ginger, turmeric, and/or digestive enzymes taken between meals can help. Modifying the ergonomics of a CTS patient’s workstation is a good idea in order to reduce the repetitive strain commonly associated with chronic carpal tunnel syndrome.

 

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, we would be honored to render our services.

What’s This Tingling in My Leg?

12 Aug

When you think of low back pain, you may visualize a person half-bent over with their hand on the sore spot of their back. Since many of us have experienced low back pain during our lifetime, we can usually relate to a personal experience and recall how limited we were during the acute phase of our last LBP episode. However, when the symptoms associated with LBP are different, such as tingling or a shooting pain down one leg, it can be both confusing and worrisome – hence the content of this month’s article!

Let’s look at the anatomy of the low back to better understand where these symptoms originate. In the front of the spine (or the part more inside of the body), we have the big vertebral bodies and shock absorbing disks that support about 80% of our weight. At the back of each vertebrae you’ll find the spinous and transverse processes that connect to the muscles and ligaments in the back to the spine. Between the vertebral body and these processes are the tiny boney pieces called the pedicles. The length of the pedicle partially determines the size of the holes where the nerves exit the spine.

When the pedicles are short (commonly a genetic cause), the exiting nerves can be compressed due to the narrowed opening. This is called foraminal spinal stenosis. This compression usually occurs later in life when osteoarthritis and/or degenerative disk disease further crowds these “foramen” where the nerves exit the spine. Similarly, short pedicles can narrow the “central canal” where the spinal cord travels up and down the spine from the brain. Later in life, the combined effects of the narrow canal plus disk bulging, osteoarthritic spurs, and/or thickening or calcification of ligaments can add up to “central spinal stenosis.” The symptoms associated with spinal stenosis (whether it’s foraminal or central) include difficulty walking due to a gradual increase in tingling, heavy, crampy, achy and/or sore feeling in one or both legs.  The tingling in the legs associated with spinal stenosis is called “neurogenic claudication” and must be differentiated from “vascular claudication”, which feels similar but is

caused from lack of blood flow to the leg(s) as opposed to nerve flow.

At a younger age, tingling in the legs can be caused by either a bulging or herniated lumbar disk or it can be referred pain from a joint – usually a facet or sacroiliac joint. The main difference in symptoms between nerve vs. joint leg tingling symptoms is that nerve pinching from a deranged disk is located in a specific area in the leg such as the inside or outside of the foot. In other words, the tingling can be traced fairly specifically in the leg. Tingling from a joint is often described as a deep, “inside the leg,” generalized achy-tingling that can affect the whole leg and/or foot or it may stop at the knee, but it’s more difficult to describe by the patient as it’s less geographic or specific in its location. Chiropractic management of all these conditions offers a non-invasive, effective form of non-surgical, non-drug care and is the recommended in LBP guidelines as an option when treating these conditions.

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care for back pain, we would be honored to render our services.

 

Research Finds Low-Glycemic Index Diet Helps Mice with Autism.

10 Aug

In the past 20 years, the number of diagnosed cases of autism spectrum disorder has dramatically increased. While both a cause for the substantial increase in diagnoses and a cure for autism remain elusive, the findings of a new study indicate that a low-glycemic index diet — a diet used to treat type 2 diabetics — may benefit people with autism. In the study, researchers used mice found to display autism-like symptoms and fed them either a high-glycemic index diet (heavy with foods such as breads, cereals, and other sugary processed foods that can cause blood sugar levels to spike) or a low-glycemic index diet (heavy with vegetables, fruits, and whole grains that take longer to digest, which can keep blood sugar levels more even).

During the study, the research team observed that the mice on the high-glycemic diet displayed several behavioral symptoms consistent with autism such as extensive grooming, repeated actions that served no apparent purpose, and impaired social interactions with other mice. Blood samples from this population of mice showed decreased levels of doublecortin, a protein that indicates neuron development, and increased levels of inflammation markers. On the other hand, the mice fed the low-glycemic diet showed fewer autism-related symptoms, greater neural development, and lower levels of inflammation.

While this study was conducted with mice and further research needs to be done to see if similar results can be observed in human subjects, it does offer hope for patients with autism spectrum disorder as well as a potential avenue to look for a possible contributing cause for the disease. If you don’t have autism spectrum disorder, you can at least take away the finding that eating more natural foods and fewer processed foods will not only help you better manage your blood sugar levels and possibly reduce your risk for diabetes, but if these findings hold up for humans, a low-glycemic diet may also reduce inflammation (which will lower your risk for chronic diseases) and may also help improve your brain’s function.

Reacting Positively to Stressful Situations Can Benefit Your Health!

6 Aug

It is known that inflammation increases an individual’s risk for several chronic diseases, but until recently, it was not known if one’s emotional responses to daily stress were linked to inflammation production.  In a recent study, 872 adults from the National Study of Daily Experiences (sub-study of Midlife in the United States II) reported daily stressors and their reaction to them during telephone interviews over the course of eight days.  Blood samples were obtained at a separate clinic visit and analyzed for inflammatory markers.

The researchers note, “Adults who fail to maintain positive affect when faced with minor stressors in everyday life appear to have elevated levels of IL-6, a marker of inflammation.  Women who experience increased negative affect when faced with minor stressors may be at particular risk of elevated inflammation.  These findings add to growing evidence regarding the health implications of affective reactivity to daily stressors.” 

Dr. Nancy Sin, postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Healthy Aging and Department of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State adds, “A person’s frequency of stress may be less related to inflammation than responses to stress. It is how a person reacts to stress that is important.”

Blind Dog Helps Others See Better Days!

4 Aug

Sometimes real life is better than any Hollywood movie.  This might be one of those moments…

He was a nameless dog, born without eyes, serving a life sentence in a terrible puppy mill.  Who knows how much longer this particular golden retriever would have suffered — or even been allowed to live — if it wasn’t for one special person.

Enter Joanne George.

  • Certified with the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers in 2003
  • Professional member of the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers
  • Therapy Dog Evaluator for St. John Ambulance
  • Training professionally for over 15 years
  • Veterinary Assistant for over 20 years
  • Educated in Canine Behavior

Joanne rescued the golden retriever and named him Smiley.  She quickly noticed something was very wrong with her new dog.  Smiley was very introverted and scared, which wouldn’t be unexpected for a dog in his situation, but there was more…

Smiley was born without eyes, yet his eyelids were open and this appeared to be causing him a great deal of pain.  Joanne arranged for a veterinarian to help close Smiley’s eyelids.

As soon as this happened, Smiley’s pain subsided and he started to come around.

Joanne paired Smiley with a deaf Great Dane named Tyler.  Tyler is high energy, and the two hit it off.  Tyler immediately raised Smiley’s energy and spirits.

“Tyler was so bouncy and crazy and happy-go-lucky and [Smiley] turned into the same dog,” George told ABC News.  “He came out from underneath the tables where he was always hiding.”

As soon as Smiley started to interact with people, his shyness melted away.  Not only did he tolerate being around them, but he became very friendly, even with strangers he’d just met. Joanne spotted a gift in Smiley and started taking him to hospitals and schools to visit people who needed some cheering up.

There was one patient in a nursing home named Teddy whom no one visited and hadn’t been known to speak during his stay.  The staff at the nursing home said they had never even saw him smile.  That was, of course, until Smiley came along.  Joanne recalls, “(Teddy) smiled and laughed when Smiley got into his vision.  It was so touching to see we had made a difference… a big difference in this man’s life.”

The therapy work Smiley does is quite amazing, especially with children. Joanne adds, “It’s very touching when they see how he was born different and it’s ok to be different and you can still overcome things.  Their confidence level goes right up.”

Smiley’s biggest message is that whoever you are and whatever circumstances or situations you are in, you can always overcome them.  You can always be happy.  You can always smile.

Is There a Secret to Success and Happiness?

3 Aug

Webster’s Dictionary defines a secret as something kept hidden from others or something that is known to only a few people.

While real secrets probably exist, most of the “secrets” for success and happiness come from knowledge that is more common than we think.  In reality, we just choose to ignore or not act on such knowledge, as demonstrated in the fable called The Lion and the Mouse…

A lion was awakened from sleep by a mouse running over his face.  Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse piteously entreated, saying:  “If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness.”  The Lion laughed and let him go.  It happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by strong ropes to the ground.  The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came and gnawed the rope with his teeth and set him free, exclaiming: “You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor; now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to confer benefits on a Lion.”

The moral of this story is:  No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Pretty simple, right?  One can call this a “secret to success and happiness.”  Doing acts of kindness will not only enrich other’s lives, but they will also enrich yours.

Let’s be honest… Everyone already knows that.  YOU already know that.  So, how is it a “secret” if everyone already knows it?

You see, there is a big difference between not knowing about something versus choosing not to do something about it.  If we are honest with ourselves, we know what the right thing to do is most of the time.  We just choose not to because it is too hard or we are too lazy or whatever the reason may be.

So, maybe the definition of a “secret” should be “the right thing that most people choose not to do.”

Think about it.  How many random acts of kindness have you done today in which you cannot see any immediate personal gain?  This week?  This month?  This year?

For most people, the answer to that question is a sobering realization.

It is never too late to start.  It is never too late to be the lion.  Or the mouse.

Stop reading this and do a random act of kindness in the next five minutes. Make up your mind you are going to do one every day for the next week and see what happens in your life.

You won’t be disappointed.

Sincerely,
Dr. Binder

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