Unfortunately, you might often be WRONG!  At least that’s what the researchers from Harvard Medical School say.  In fact, one of the most famous studies straight out of Harvard Medical School proved that diagnosis is correct only an incredible 25% of the time.  And, remarkably, another study showed that up to 67% of all carpal tunnel syndrome doesn’t even come from the carpal tunnel area at all.

  Yet, according to the CDC (Center For Disease Control) a whopping 260,000 (US) – 600,000 (worldwide) carpal tunnel surgeries are performed every year (and that number is growing).  Even worse, it’s been shown that only 23-33% of these surgeries are actually effective…meaning most of the time, you end up back in pain, or even worse, back for a second invasive surgery…for the same problem.

  What does all this have to do with you?  Plenty, if you’ve gone from doctor to doctor…tried therapy after therapy…and still you suffer with the unrelenting agony of carpal tunnel pain and numbness.  You see, there is a good chance that your carpal tunnel symptoms are NOT coming from carpal tunnel syndrome at all…and may instead come from one of these five “hidden” overlooked areas (problems) that your doctor may have totally missed.

  Here are some facts you should know…

   Believe it or not, at least five other places (problems) other than carpal tunnel syndrome can “mimic” many of the EXACT same symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, sending doctors scrambling for answers (and often wrong diagnosises), while you’re left in pain…sometimes even worse off than before you sought treatment.

 Let’s take a closer look at what I call “the Great Pretenders”…one of these may actually be the TRUE cause of your pain and numbness…

THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME

There are nerves and blood vessels just below your neck that can be compressed, or squeezed (from multiple causes). The problem can be between the muscles of your neck and shoulder and canbetween your first rib and collarbone.  You may feel burning, tingling and numbness along your arm, and can cause pain, numbness or even weakness in your hands or wrist.

The following comes from the medical textbook “Surgery of the Peripheral Nerve”… “Nerve compression near the cervical spine (neck) is found in people with carpal tunnel syndrome.”

DOUBLE CRUSH SYNDROME

 The “Double Crush Syndrome” is described as a compression of the nerve in two different areas, usually a distance from each other.  A growing number of researchers are demonstrating a connection between the nerve being compressed at carpal tunnel area and compressed at a SECOND area in the lower part of the neck or even somewhere else along the shoulder, arm or wrist.

 “The nerve is "crushed" or irritated in the spine, "priming" more distant areas of the nerve for dysfunction when that part is stressed (second "crush")”.

 PINCHED NERVES IN THE NECK

  It’s not uncommon for one or more nerves to become “pinched” in the lower neck area from things like whiplash injuries, poor posture and even other minor slips and falls… “pinching” delicate nerves in your neck. 

 As a result of this “pinching” you can feel everything from weakness, numbness and even pain and tingling all the way down to your hands and fingers.  It makes perfect sense, since these nerves travel from your neck all the way down to the tips of your fingers. 

 Researchers Upton and McComas, Lancet,  believe that “67%-75% of patients studied who had carpal tunnel syndrome...also showed some degree of nerve root irritation in the lower neck area.”

 NECK ARTHRITIS

 AARP magazine reports that-“In fact, there are more than 100 different types of arthritis, but osteoarthritis , is by far the most common…with over...21 million Americans having this condition.”  Since the neck is one of the most common areas for arthritis…it’s also a major cause of nerve root irritation, resulting in pain and numbness in the wrist and hands as well.

 From the Journal of Hand          Surgery…”A significant correlation was found between carpal tunnel syndrome and neck arthritis.”

  TENDONITIS

Tendonitis (in the wrist) is a swelling of the tendons in the wrist which puts pressure on the nerves in the wrist. This makes you feel pain in your wrist as well as your fingers. Despite the pain in the fingers there's nothing actually wrong with the fingers or even your carpal tunnel area. The pain originates entirely from the pressure on the nerves in the wrist caused by the swollen, inflamed tendons. 

 According to Lee Ostrman, MD, Ortho, Clinics of North America vol. 19, Jan 98 reveals that... “Carpal tunnel syndrome is often the result of a combination of factors that increase pressure on the median nerve and tendons in the carpal tunnel, rather than a problem with the nerve itself.

  Here’s a simple explanation for each of these conditions…  Picture a garden hose for a minute.  It can be kinked right at the source where the water starts...or…anywhere along the hose up to the handle.

It’s really the same way with the nerves that cross through your carpal tunnel.  You can develop pinching or kinks anywhere along the way to the carpal tunnel (started at the neck).  That’s why it’s often missed, under-diagnosed and often not completely treated.

Over the 12 years that I’ve been in practice, I’ve  pursued new methods to treat and help my patients finally find answers to their carpal tunnel syndrome and help them to get back to a normal quality of life, the life they deserve.  I’ve studied and implemented researched techniques from the best healers of our time.  Techniques that are proven to work. All natural techniques without side-effects.  The truth is, when you focus on one area long enough and with enough intensity, you get very good at helping people with those conditions. That’s why we’ve developed a systematic and comprehensive first approach to  diagnosing and then treating each layer of your problem with a variety of painless techniques,  including leading edge new techniques, and  advanced, state-of-the art technologies like cold laser, Active Release Rechnique, (Dr Atencio is a fully certtified provider in ART including long tract nerve entrapments)  cervical decompression therapy, or gentle Chiropractic care.   It depends on where the entrapment is located!

And, since all of these therapies are totally natural,  you don’t have to worry about possible side-effects as with many medications or dangerous surgeries.