By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-10-19 13:48:28 | Word Count: 664
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (also known as CTS) is a condition in which the compression of the median nerve that travels through the carpal tunnel can cause symptoms such as pain, weakness, tingling and numbness mostly in the hands and wrists. Symptoms are known however to extend as far as the neck and shoulders. Symptoms from this condition can range from mild to extreme and if left untreated can cause issues with chronic pain. There are several methods of treatment and aid available including carpal tunnel wrist braces; which are the most popular.
While they may look slightly uncomfortable and highly unstylish, the carpal tunnel wrist braces are a great way to not only treat carpal tunnel but also to lessen the pain and symptoms that accompany the condition. In its basic and most simple form, the brace functions as an immobilizing agent that allows you full use and range of motion in your fingers while keeping your wrist immobile and preventing it from flexing in any way that would put stress on the wrist, causing the condition to worsen.
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There are several treatment schedules to choose from when deciding when it is most convenient for you to wear your brace. Many doctors suggest beginning by wearing the brace at night for several weeks. This is an easy option mainly because it allows your wrist to stay in a good position while helping to ease the pain that troubles carpal tunnel sufferers and prevents them from sleeping. If wearing the brace at night is not having the desired healing effect, you may want to consider wearing the brace during the day throughout your normal activities. For further improvement it is also suggested that you avoid sleeping on your wrists or in any position that puts strain and pressure on them such as tucking your hands under your pillow. You may also want to consider making use of hot or cold compresses before you go to sleep to ease minor aches and pains and to reduce swelling before putting on your wrist brace.
Carpal tunnel wrist braces are convenient and useful for a number of reasons. Not only are they a great alternative to risky and possibly unhelpful surgery, but they are also available over the counter without a prescription from a doctor. This type of treatment doesnt involve taking harmful chemical drugs and it is also a very affordable medical aid. Surgery is often recommended for extreme cases of carpal tunnel but is not always the best option. Due to the nature of the surgery, the procedure is not always successful and in some cases has been known to cause more damage. For minor to moderate cases, wrist braces are a great help to allowing people to live with the condition by helping to alleviate the daily chronic pain. Like with any form of medical treatment it is best that you discuss your options with your regular physician to find out which course of action is right for you.
