If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you might need to reduce inflammation your body to either prevent carpal tunnel syndrome or at least subdue the symptoms. If you have inflammation, this can cause even greater swelling of the ligaments and joints so the pressure is put on the median nerve, which can cause CTS symptoms to flare up. How can you reduce your information?
For the most part, beginning to reduce inflammation as it relates to CTS begins with using anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin. If you have trouble with health problems caused by thinning blood, you should stay away from these, but for many people, these are safe and effective when taken in over-the-counter formulations and when used as directed. If you take over-the-counter medications like aspirin or ibuprofen, you won’t need to get a prescription. Make sure you take the drugs with water so that the medications are fully absorbed and therefore the active ingredients are fully effective. Most of the drugs, you’ll find, will say that you should take them every four to six hours, not to exceed a certain dosage (check the label) within 24 hours. Again, keep in mind that these drugs can cause stomach bleeding, so they’re not benign, even though they can be obtained over the counter. Therefore, take with caution and always follow directions.
You’ll have to help the effectiveness of the medications by limiting the use of your inflamed wrist and hand for up to two weeks. After that period, you can try to use it more normally and see if any difference was made. (During that period you should wear a wrist brace at night.) If little progress has been made by then, you need to see your doctor. He could prescribe a special anti-inflammation drug in the corticosteroids group of medications. These are more powerful drugs of the kind you’ve been taking, but they contain steroids and might have side effects.
There are also natural anti-inflammatories you can ingest simply as a part of your diet. Again, these aren’t entirely benign, since although they are food and therefore “natural,” they may be contraindicated if you take certain medications. Therefore, before you make any major changes to your diet, you should check with your doctor and make sure there are certain things you shouldn’t ingest. There is one truly benign change you can probably make your diet, which is to reduce or eliminate your consumption of fatty red meat. These types of foods often encouraged inflammatory responses in your body, and simply eliminating them from your diet can greatly reduce inflammation. Instead of eating hamburger, each game meat like venison or lean, grass fed beef. Chicken and fish, too, are beneficial. Getting more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet will also help reduce inflammation in the body. Reduce or eliminate your consumption of dairy and replace it with soy. Greatly reduce your consumption of refined sugars and carbohydrates such as corn syrup, white flour and white sugar, as these can encourage inflammation in the body. Do get plenty of green, leafy vegetables, fresh and frozen fruits like berries (with no sugar added), drink plenty of water, and eat plenty of whole grain or complex carbohydrates. Minimize or eliminate “high glycemic” carbohydrates like corn and potatoes.
You might think this is a lot to do to treat carpal tunnel syndrome, although you may not think that after you’ve had some relief. Instead of using a lot of anti-inflammatory drugs (except perhaps for at first, when you are first embarking on this program and need immediate relief), try natural approaches like the one described above. In addition, special exercises geared to reducing or eliminating CTS symptoms can also be used.
Tom Nicholson has made available to the public his unique carpal tunnel exercises that can ease pain and discomfort for any carpal tunnel sufferer. Discover a way to help yourself without resorting to surgery. Click here to reduce your pain and improve your quality of life by doing a series of easycarpal tunnel exercises.