Sunday, October 3, 2010

How I got Into Trigger Point Therapy- Part 3


Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

Here’s a little anatomy lesson on Carpel Tunnel Syndrome from the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Claire Davies, which is the book I always use for reference. 

The carpel tunnel in the wrist is made of little square bones and lots of ligaments to keep them together, and the blood vessels and nerves run through that little space. When your hands or fingers hurt or tingle or feel numb, it’s assumed that all that stuff is swelling because you’ve overwork it from typing or hammering or something equally violent. Because of the swelling, blood can’t get back up the arm very well and the nerves get squished and start squealing loudly to let you know they’re hurt.

What I learned from the book is that nerves and blood vessels are indeed getting squished, but not in the wrist. There’s a space behind your collarbone that they pass through on their way to and from the arm called the thoracic outlet. Muscles in your neck called scalenes that get shortened by trigger points can pull the first ribs up against the collarbone, and that’s what squeezes the stuff that feeds your hand. 

Cutting open the carpel tunnel will make more room for blood to get through, but if you can’t convince the scalenes to release their hold between that first rib and the collarbone, the results can be a little iffy.

To Be Continued In Two Days Time

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