About 15 years ago as I was stuck on the phone with someone, I decided it would be a great time to deep clean the kitchen linoleum. I really attacked the little divots that collected the dirt so well. In a couple of hours the floor was drop dead gorgeous. The next day, however, I could barely use my arm.
While that problem was only tendinitis, it took a few months of physical therapy and a couple of cortisone shots to resolve. And I’m still cautious to this day. I don’t want to repeat that experience. As I use my hands a lot in typing, gardening, spinning yarn, and knitting, I’ve also been concerned about the potential for developing carpal tunnel syndrome. How would I know whether pain in my hand or wrist was due to carpal tunnel syndrome? And how would I treat it if there was no doctor to help me out? This is especially important because except in the case of pregnancy, carpal tunnel syndrome will not eventually go away on its own.[1]
The first stop, as usual, was to check all my off-grid medicine references. There was absolutely nothing. Zero, zip, nada for a condition that affects 3% of the entire population and 9% of women. And carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common reasons for people missing work.[2]
So what exactly is carpal tunnel syndrome? The carpals are small bones in the wrist, and the carpal tunnel is formed by these bones and the ligament that covers the “roof” of the tunnel. In the tunnel are tendons that help move the fingers the thumb, as well as the median nerve that is essential to some muscular function and sensation. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve is compressed, causing pain.
Symptoms
- Numbness, tingling, weakness, pain in the thumb, index, and middle fingers. (If the ring finger or pinkie is involved, the pain is not due to carpal tunnel.)
- Clumsiness or loss of fine motor coordination in hand
- Frequently dropping items
Early warning signs
- Recurring numbness or pain in thumb, index, and middle fingers
- Sensation of swelling in those fingers, even if they don’t look swollen
- Tingling in the fingers at night
- Awakening with a need to shake out the hands to relieve pain or tingling[3]
Risk factors
- Female (about 9% of women will be affected)[4]
- Medical conditions
- Age, 40-60 years[7]
- Previous wrist fracture[8]
- Poor posture
- Sleeping with wrists flexed, especially under the body[9]
- Repetitive tasks using tools or equipment with strong vibration
- Repetitive tasks
- Sewing
- Gardening
- Occupational
- Pianists and other professional musicians
Definitive diagnosis will be difficult to achieve without access to modern equipment. Two DIY tests that can help confirm or refute the diagnosis are Tinel’s sign and Phalen’s test.
- Tinel’s sign. Gently tap over the median nerve near the wrist, just above the palm. If the tapping causes pain or numbness, it may be due to carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Phalen’s test. Place the backs of the hands together, fingers pointing to the floor, and wrists at 90° angles. This should cause compression of the median nerve and the consequent symptoms if the pain is due to carpal tunnel syndrome.[10]
In a struggling society, we probably won’t have access to cortisone injections or surgery. Wrist braces may be of service, but only if they are available.
Off-grid treatment options
- Conventional
- OTC NSAIDs may relieve pain, but they won’t do anything to resolve the problem.
- Ice packs or alternating between dipping hands in ice water and then warm water
- Avoid sleeping on the hands
- Vitamin B6, 200 mg per day for 10-14 days, then 50 mg daily for maintenance[11] [12] [13]
- Alpha lipoic acid, 600 mg/day[14]
- Alternative
- Essential oils
- Massage hands and arms with eucalyptus, lavender, and marjoram essential oils, 10 drops of each, in 2 tablespoons of carrier oil.[15]
- Chamomile essential oil, massaged into hands and wrists daily[16]
- Flaxseed oil, massaged into hands and wrists daily.
- Olive oil, taken internally and massaged into the hands and wrists daily.
Links to related posts:
[1] Jonathan Cluett, How carpal tunnel syndrome is treated, 14 July 2021, https://www.verywellhealth.com/treating-carpal-tunnel-syndrome-2549307 (accessed 23 March 2022).
[2] Steph Clement Pogonowski, Advice from a certified hand therapist: What is carpal tunnel sundrome? Handcare: The Upper Extremity Expert, 21 September 2020, https://www.assh.org/handcare/blog/advice-from-a-certified-hand-therapist-what-is-carpal-tunnel-syndrome (accessed 23 March 2022).
[3] Brett Sears, How Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Is Diagnosed, 12 July 2021, https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-carpal-tunnel-syndrome-is-diagnosed-4160997 (accessed 23 March 2022).
[4] Ryan-Harshman M, Aldoori W. Carpal tunnel syndrome and vitamin B6. Can Fam Physician. July 2007, Vol 53 No 7, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1949298/ (accessed 23 March 2022).
[5] Jonathan Cluett, Causes and risk factors of carpal tunnel syndrome, 14 July 2021, https://www.verywellhealth.com/carpal-tunnel-syndrome-causes-risk-factors-2549308 (accessed 23 March 2022).
[6] Jonathan Cluett, Causes and risk factors of carpal tunnel syndrome, 14 July 2021, https://www.verywellhealth.com/carpal-tunnel-syndrome-causes-risk-factors-2549308 (accessed 23 March 2022).
[7] Jonathan Cluett, Causes and risk factors of carpal tunnel syndrome, 14 July 2021, https://www.verywellhealth.com/carpal-tunnel-syndrome-causes-risk-factors-2549308 (accessed 23 March 2022).
[8] Jonathan Cluett, Causes and risk factors of carpal tunnel syndrome, 14 July 2021, https://www.verywellhealth.com/carpal-tunnel-syndrome-causes-risk-factors-2549308 (accessed 23 March 2022).
[9] https://www.verywellhealth.com/carpal-tunnel-syndrome-causes-risk-factors-2549308 (accessed 23 March 2022).
[10] Brett Sears, How Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Is Diagnosed, 12 July 2021, https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-carpal-tunnel-syndrome-is-diagnosed-4160997 (accessed 23 March 2022).
[11] Ryan-Harshman M, Aldoori W. Carpal tunnel syndrome and vitamin B6. Can Fam Physician. July 2007, Vol 53 No 7, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1949298/ (accessed 23 March 2022).
[12] Ellis JM. Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome with vitamin B6. South Med J. July 1987, Vol 80 No 7, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3603108/ (accessed 23 March 2022).
[13] Talebi, Mahnaz et al. Effect of vitamin b6 on clinical symptoms and electrodiagnostic results of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, Advanced pharmaceutical bulletin, 2013, Vol 3 No 2, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3848223/ (accessed 23 March 2022).
[14]Di Geronimo G, Caccese AF, Caruso L, Soldati A, Passaretti U. Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome with alpha-lipoic acid. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci., March-April 2009, Vol 13 No 2, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19499849/ (accessed 23 March 2022).
[15] Valerie Ann Worwood, The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy, 1991, 105.
[16] Case Adams, Natural Therapies for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, The Journal of Plant Medicines, https://plantmedicines.org/natural-remedies-carpal-tunnel-syndrome/ (accessed 23 March 2022).
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