Acupuncture Relieves Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

You’re working away at your computer trying to ignore the the tingling and numbness in your hand and wrist.  Or you notice a sharp pain shooting up your arm from your wrist. More than likely you have carpal tunnel syndrome. What is it and can acupuncture help?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful progressive condition caused by compression of the median nerve inside your wrist. It can occur with repetitive work and uninterrupted typing.

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, “acupuncture is effective for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome.”

There were 72 subjects in this randomized controlled study. The acupuncture treatment group received 8 acupuncture treatments over a period of 4 weeks and night splinting was used as an additional component to the medical are. The control group received night splinting, sham acupuncture (use of non-relevant acupoints in relation to carpal tunnel syndrome), vitamin B1 and vitamin B6.

A follow up after the treatment regime measured a clinically significant nerve conduction velocity difference between the groups. The acupuncture group measured significantly better according to the nerve conduction study’s electrophysiological measurements. The researchers also conclude that acupuncture is effective in relieving the subjective symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Have you ever tried acupuncture for carpal tunnel? Did it help?