A 2018 study documented acupuncture carpal tunnel relief in patients with wrist and hand pain associated with median nerve compression. Previous research investigated acupuncture’s effect on muscles and nerve cells using electromyography. This study, in contrast, explored acupuncture’s impact on the shape and function of the median nerve.
Carpal Tunnel and the Median Nerve
Median nerve compression in the carpal tunnel region of the wrist causes pain, numbness, and tingling in the fingers or hand and weakness and atrophy of the hand muscles innervated by the median nerve. Carpal tunnel syndrome is associated with repetitive activities and health conditions, including diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism, and pregnancy.
Acupuncture Carpal Tunnel Relief Study
Investigators assessed twenty-seven female patients with carpal tunnel syndrome with electromyographic tests before treatment. The patients were similar in age, BMI (body mass index), duration of disease, and severity of the condition. They excluded participants who presented with radicular pain, polyneuropathy, radial or ulnar nerve diseases, history of trauma, or prior hand surgery.
The investigators randomly divided the participants into two groups (acupuncture and control). The average duration of the disease in the two groups was 18 months and 19 months, respectively. For four weeks, both groups used night wrist splints for carpal tunnel syndrome, while only the acupuncture group received acupuncture treatments. Practitioners utilized the following nine acupoints:
Daling (PC7)
Ximen (PC4)
Neiguan (PC6)
Laogong (PC8)
Qingling (HT2)
Shenmen (HT7)
Shaofu (HT8)
Taiyuan (LU9)
Quchi (LI11)
Measurement Tools
Investigators used musculoskeletal ultrasound to measure the median nerve cross-sectional area at the proximal carpal tunnel, with the scaphoid and pisiform bones used as bony landmarks. Treatments lasted 25 minutes per session, and participants received a total of ten sessions. Researchers measured pain severity, hand function, and musculoskeletal ultrasound results before and after treatments using the visual analog scale (VAS), Duruoz Hand Index (DHI), and Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH).
Impressive Measurable Results
Acupuncture carpal tunnel relief was substantial. Data from the acupuncture group showed the median nerve cross-sectional area decreased from 11.6 to 10.6 mm, distal motor latency decreased from 4.3 to 4.1 ms, and SNAP increased from 16.7 to 17.6 uV. In addition, the acupuncture group saw VAS decrease from 9 to 4.8, CMAP increase from 12.9 to 14.8 mV, DHI decrease from 47 to 37, Quick DASH decrease from 67.2 to 56.8, S-NCV increase from 31 to 33.2 m/sec, and motor nerve velocity increase from 57.4 to 59 m/sec.
Acupuncture Improves Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
The improvement in the acupuncture group, compared to baseline, highlights acupuncture’s success in decreasing clinical symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition, acupuncture transforms median nerve morphology by reducing the cross-sectional area. The results within the control group were inferior to the acupuncture group, highlighting acupuncture’s superiority to night splint monotherapy.
Additional Research
Investigators studying acupuncture carpal tunnel relief noted that recent inquiries incorporated magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) to demonstrate how acupuncture alters brain activity and the limbic system in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Acupuncture produces anti-inflammatory effects in the median nerve within the carpal tunnel, similar to oral and injected steroids.
Conclusions
Acupuncture generates beneficial morphological changes to the median nerve in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome and reduces or eliminates symptoms. Based on the scientific evidence documented in this acupuncture carpal tunnel relief study, acupuncture is an excellent treatment option.
Next Steps
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Reference
Ural, Fatma Gülçin, and Gökhan Tuna Öztürk. “The acupuncture effect on median nerve morphology in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: an ultrasonographic study.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2017 (2017).
What our Clients are Saying
I’m a massage therapist and never had a problem with wrist or hand pain until last year. My whole hand (right worse than left) starting throbbing and going numb with searing pain through the wrist, thumb and pointer finger. It was waking me several nights a week and interfering with my work. I started getting treated at Raleigh Acupuncture. It has dramatically reduced my pain, to the point where I can work and am not waking up at night. I think the nature of my work puts alot of strain on my wrists, but I’m not ready to give up my profession. I’ll need regular acupuncture for this, but I don’t mind. It’s the only thing that’s helped.
I’m a computer programmer and have been sitting at a desk working a mouse for years. It finally caught up with me a few months ago. I developed a terrible pain in my wrist that made my whole hand go numb, especially at night. The acupuncturist said the condition was easy to treat. My friend had surgery for the same thing. I figured I might as well try a few treatments. That’s all it took. The pain went away and hasn’t returned. Thank you Raleigh Acupuncture!
Raleigh Acupuncture cured my carpal tunnel syndrome for good! This has been plaguing me for years, waking me at night. My hands would go numb and shooting pains would go up my arms. I was nervous about the treatments beforehand, but they babied me! It wasn’t bad at all. Anyway, the pain is gone, gone, gone! I’m hooked on acupuncture now.
