There a lot of misconceptions about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) out there.
There is a long held, deep seated belief that Carpal Tunnel is a big problem.
It can certainly become one if it is not dealt with the right way.
There are three common myths that help make CTS more of a monster than it should be.
A very small percentage of CTS cases actually involve a structural problem with the actual tunnel in the carpal bones and covering connective tissue.
Most people just have symptoms brought about by a Downward Spiral of increasing tightness and pain.
If there is a problem with the carpal tunnel, like genetic deformity, tumor in the wrist, or actual damage from an accident, then these myths do not apply.
See your doctor to rule these factors out.
If the above scenarios don't apply to you, then it is important to know the truth about the following misconceptions.
Myth #1 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is an Injury Unless you have had a crushing injury or broken wrist bones, CTS is not an injury.
Just because it hurts, just because there is numbness, does not mean that you are injured.
If you step on a garden hose and the flow of water slows down, is the hose injured? No.
You just take your foot off the hose and everything is good again.
Same with CTS.
Nobody steps on a hose, notices the flow of water decrease, and declares that Hose Surgery is necessary.
(Well, a surgeon probably would.
) It is common in Western culture to associate pain with injury.
It is very possible to have pain for a variety of reasons other than injury.
Myth #2 Carpal Tunnel is hard to fix When you have the RIGHT information, CTS is simple to get rid of.
When you don't have the right information, you end up with months and months and years and decades of symptoms.
That's no fun.
If you have tried all the usual methods that doctors and most internet sources provide, and still have pain and problem, it is naturally to then really believe that CTS is hard to fix.
The good news is, you were just using the wrong tools for the job.
Even if you have had pain and numbness for decades, you can help your body reverse the Downward Spiral and get back to good working order.
Pain free, or close to it, in a week or two.
This isn't a miracle, it's just using the RIGHT tool for the job, the right method that works with your body in the right way.
You could poke your arm with a spoon all day long, and it won't help because it's not the right tool.
Same thing with anti-inflammatories, splints and braces, corticosteroid shots, surgery, etc.
Myth #3 Carpal Tunnel is something I'll have to live with to some degree for the rest of my life.
This can be true, but it is not the whole truth.
If you don't do the right things to help your body and if you continue to use your hands like want to and need to, then it is predictable that you will have life long problems.
That's just the way the body works.
People learn to live with this constant problem and manage and sacrifice in various ways.
However.
If you do the right things to help your body, you can use your hands as much as you want, and either be pain free or close to it.
Carpal Tunnel problems can last a lifetime, but they are only permanent if you fail to help your body in the right way.
Again with the hose analogy, if you step on a hose, the water flow gets less.
It's only permanent until you take your foot of.
That is exactly how CTS works.
It's time to make that Carpal Tunnel symptoms go away.