Carpal tunnel relief without surgery.
A carpal tunnel chiropractor in Scottsdale who checks the wrist, the elbow and the neck, because hand numbness can come from any of them. Dr. Tracey Ryder treats carpal tunnel conservatively, with adjustments, acupuncture and massage, before anyone talks about a release.
- Chiropractor and board certified acupuncturist
- In practice since 2003
- Chiropractic, acupuncture and massage in one plan
- Old Town Scottsdale, Scottsdale Road
What it is
What a chiropractor for carpal tunnel checks first
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the median nerve being squeezed as it passes through the narrow tunnel at the front of the wrist. The result is numbness and tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers, worse at night and with gripping, and eventually weakness in the thumb. The tunnel is crowded by design; swelling of the tendons that share it, from repetitive work or fluid changes in pregnancy, is enough to press the nerve.
The same nerve can be irritated higher up, at the elbow, at the shoulder, or at the neck where it begins, and a nerve irritated in two places produces more symptoms than either alone. So the first visit checks all of them. Carpal tunnel treatment without surgery in Scottsdale at Ryder includes gentle adjustment of the wrist bones and the neck, carpal tunnel acupuncture in Scottsdale for the nerve, and carpal tunnel massage of the forearm muscles whose tendons crowd the tunnel.
If you have been searching for a carpal tunnel chiropractor near me from Old Town, Tempe or south Scottsdale, the office is on Scottsdale Road between McDowell and Thomas. If a surgeon has already recommended a release, conservative care is still worth a short trial first for most people.
- Where it hurts
- Thumb, index and middle fingers; the palm; sometimes up the forearm. Worse at night
- Common causes
- Repetitive gripping and typing, wrist position, pregnancy, forearm tightness, neck irritation of the same nerve
- What we use
- Wrist and neck adjustments, acupuncture, forearm massage, taping and positioning advice
- First visit
- History, wrist, elbow and neck exam, nerve tests, explanation, first treatment when appropriate
What is going on
Why the tunnel gets crowded
Nine tendons and one nerve pass through the carpal tunnel, under a tough ligament that does not stretch. Anything that swells the tendons, holds the wrist bent, or shifts the small wrist bones narrows the space, and the nerve, being the softest thing in there, is what gets compressed. Typing with bent wrists, gripping tools, sleeping with the wrist curled, and the fluid retention of pregnancy all do it. Tight forearm muscles pull on those same tendons all day.
Conservative care opens the space: gentle adjustment of the wrist bones, release of the forearm muscles, acupuncture to calm the nerve and reduce the swelling around it, and positioning advice so the wrist stops being bent for hours. When the neck is contributing, it is treated too. Most mild and moderate carpal tunnel responds; the exam identifies the cases that need a surgical opinion.
Symptoms
What people come in with
Carpal tunnel has a recognizable pattern:
- Numb thumb, index and middle fingers
- Waking at night to shake the hand out
- Tingling while driving or holding a phone
- Dropping things
- Weak pinch grip
- Pain into the forearm
- Worse after typing or gripping
- Swollen feeling in the fingers
- Symptoms in the dominant hand first
- Numbness that comes and goes
Numbness in the little finger is a different nerve, and neck-driven numbness follows a different pattern. Both are checked.
How we treat it
How we treat carpal tunnel
Open the tunnel, calm the nerve, change what crowds it.
Chiropractic
Gentle adjustment of the small wrist bones and, when the exam finds it contributing, the lower neck where the median nerve begins. Taping and wrist positioning advice for work and sleep.
Acupuncture
Points at the wrist, forearm and neck to reduce the nerve's irritability and the swelling around it. One of the better-studied conservative options for carpal tunnel.
Massage
Release of the forearm flexors whose tendons crowd the tunnel, and the muscles higher up the arm and neck that can irritate the same nerve.
Your visit
What a first visit for carpal tunnel is like
During the visit
- Which fingers, when it is worst, what you do with your hands all day, whether you are pregnant.
- Wrist, elbow, shoulder and neck exam, nerve tests, grip and pinch strength.
- A plain-language explanation of where the nerve is being compressed.
- First treatment when appropriate.
After the visit
- Night symptoms often ease first; daytime numbness follows over a short course.
- A wrist position for sleep, adjustments to your desk or tools, and stretches for the forearm.
- A re-check at every visit, and a referral if grip weakness or muscle wasting is progressing.
Causes
What commonly causes it
What crowds the tunnel.
Typing and mouse work
Wrists bent for hours.
Gripping tools
Trades, gardening, gym.
Pregnancy
Fluid retention swells the tendons.
Sleeping with a curled wrist
Why symptoms wake you.
Tight forearm muscles
Pull on the tendons in the tunnel.
Neck irritation
The same nerve, pinched higher up.
When to come in
When to see us, and when to see a specialist first
Good reasons to book
- Numbness or tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers.
- Waking at night with a numb hand.
- Carpal tunnel diagnosed elsewhere that you want to treat before surgery.
- Hand symptoms in pregnancy.
- Wrist or hand symptoms with neck pain.
See a specialist first if
- The thumb muscles are visibly wasting.
- Numbness is constant and no longer comes and goes.
- There has been a wrist fracture or injury.
- Weakness is progressing quickly.
If the exam points to a nerve that needs a surgical opinion, Dr. Tracey will say so and refer you.
Real questions
What people ask about carpal tunnel.
Searched in Scottsdale Can acupuncture help carpal tunnel?
Yes. Acupuncture at the wrist, forearm and neck reduces the median nerve's irritability and the swelling that crowds the tunnel, and it is one of the better-studied conservative options for mild to moderate carpal tunnel. Here it is usually paired with wrist adjustment and forearm massage in the same plan.
Can a chiropractor help carpal tunnel?
Yes, for most mild and moderate cases. Gentle adjustment of the wrist bones opens the tunnel, the forearm muscles that crowd it are released, and the neck is treated when it is irritating the same nerve. Positioning at work and in sleep is the other half.
Do I need surgery?
Most people do not, and a short trial of conservative care is reasonable before a release for mild and moderate carpal tunnel. Constant numbness, visible thumb wasting or rapidly progressing weakness point toward a surgical opinion, and the exam checks for them.
Why is it worse at night?
Most people sleep with the wrist curled, which narrows the tunnel for hours. A neutral wrist position at night is one of the first things we change.
Is it carpal tunnel or my neck?
It can be both: the median nerve begins in the neck, and a nerve irritated in two places produces more symptoms than either alone. The exam checks the neck, shoulder, elbow and wrist, and treats whichever are contributing.
( Book )
Book a visit for carpal tunnel
Call the office or request an appointment online. Tell us where it hurts and how long it has been going on, and we will set up the right first visit.
- Monday
- 8:30 AM to 6 PM
- Tuesday
- 8:30 AM to 12 PM
- Wednesday
- 8:30 AM to 6 PM
- Thursday
- 2 to 6 PM
- Friday
- 8:30 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday to Sunday
- Closed
Directions in Google Maps
Prefer to talk? Call (480) 900-5280.