Do You Really Have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) or is it a Neck Problem?
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common diagnoses given to individuals suffering from hand numbness, tingling, and pain. It's a quick and easy answer when the rest of the body isn’t considered. Here’s the thing, not only do medical doctors often misdiagnose it, you do too when you search your hand symptoms online. What is often overlooked by doctors, you yourself, and google search engines is how the neck, spine, and posture play a MASSIVE role in the feeling and function of your hand and wrist too.
Understanding the anatomical continuum between the cervical spine and the hand clarifies why misdiagnosis is common and how addressing the neck through chiropractic care can offer significant relief.
Hand, Wrist, & Neck Anatomy
The hand does not function in isolation. Its sensation and motor control depend on nerves originating directly from the spinal cord. Nerve roots emerging from the spine at cervical vertebra five (C5) through thoracic vertebra number one (T1) converge and interweave to form a the median nerve which is part of a complex neural network known as the brachial plexus. Peripheral nerves extend down each joint of the arm, including the shoulder, elbow and the carpal bones of the wrist to innervate the hand.
Subluxation, irritation, inflammation, and/or dysfunction along the nerve pathways stemming from the spine could cause symptoms anywhere in the arm, hand and wrist depending on where that irritation is stemming from but when describing carpal tunnel syndrome it is specifically at the area of the index finger, thumb, and lateral wrist.
Spinal Subluxations and Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel
First, let's define a subluxation. Subluxations are areas of the spine and body where there is neurological irritation, or nerve interference. This is a huge problem for the body and brain together. When a subluxation is present somewhere in the body, the brain is aware of it as a serious issue and acts on it by sending out cortisol and inflammation. This is happening “behind the scenes” without your conscious effort..
Symptoms such as those affiliated with carpal tunnel syndrome often do not occur until a subluxation or multiple subluxations are present for a chronic (6 weeks or more) amount of time.
Since chiropractors are the only professionals that diagnose and treat subluxations, it is one of the many reasons why carpal tunnel syndrome is overlooked as a spinal issue. The diagnosis never came from a chiropractor to begin with. It came from Google’s medical information or a medical doctor themselves, the popular opinion.
Chiropractors adjust the spine with many different techniques to remove subluxations and clear the nerve pathways so that the nerve channels can function clearly and optimally. At Cypress Chiropractic techniques such as Sacro-Occipital Technique, Gonstead, Diversified, and Thompson are incorporated.
The symptoms of subluxation are endless. Symptoms can include anything from no symptoms at all, to neck pain, hand pain, wrist pain, thumb pain, headaches, anxiety, trouble sleeping, forward head posture, poor posture, and the list goes on endlessly because every function and symptom travels through the spine to the brain.
Why Subluxations and Spinal Posture Worsen Carpal Tunnel
Posture is directly controlled and coordinated by the spinal cord and brain. Posture is both conscious and unconscious. Yes… it’s important to consciously to hold your body in an easeful upright position, but subconsciously the brain moves the body away from subluxations and in a forward posture to avoid further irritation to the nervous system when subluxations are present.
Here are some other reasons why posture can be the root and/or worsen carpal tunnel symptoms:
Impaired Axoplasmic Flow: Nerves rely on a continuous internal transport system (axoplasmic flow) to supply nutrients, proteins, and cellular materials from the spinal cord down the axon of a nerve. Cervical subluxations can irritate or mildly compress the nerve roots as they exit the neural foramina. This restricts axoplasmic flow, making the nerve weaker and less resilient to minor physical pressures downstream at the wrist.
Forward Head Posture & Biomechanical Stress: Tech neck and the common posture of today is often characterized by forward head carriage and rounded shoulders. While this is a common posture, it is unhealthy and mechanically efficient. Forward head posture increases the mechanical load on the cervical spine and upper thoracic muscles and as the head shifts forward, the cervical spine loses its natural curvature (lordosis), narrowing the space through which nerve roots exit. This chronic tension keeps the nerve bundle under constant traction and can likely lead to symptoms down the nerve pathway to the hand and wrist.
Neurological Hyper-Irritability: When a cervical nerve root is inflamed, the entire nerve axon becomes hyper-excitable or hypertonic (tight). Minor friction or normal physical exertion at the wrist that would otherwise cause no symptoms can suddenly trigger severe numbness, tingling, and pain.
Even when a person does have true median nerve entrapment at the carpal tunnel, the neck often plays a crucial, compounding role. In neurology, this phenomenon is known as Double Crush Syndrome.
First hypothesized by Upton and McComas in 1973, the Double Crush concept posits that a nerve that is slightly compressed or compromised at an upstream site (such as the cervical spine) becomes significantly more vulnerable to compression at a downstream site (such as the carpal tunnel).
The Role of Chiropractic Care in Restoring Brain-Body Function
Chiropractic care addresses the mechanical and neurological integrity of the entire nerve pathway rather than focusing solely on isolated peripheral symptoms solely at the hand and wrist. By addressing spinal subluxations and postural biomechanics, chiropractic adjustments offer a natural, non-invasive option toward recovery, healing, and optimization of your overall health.
Cypress Chiropractic Care Strategies
Whole body and Spine Analysis: Cypress Chiropractic uses borth objective measurements such as posture, spinal thermography, and heart rate variability (HRV) as well as touch, locate areas of the spine, view the nervous system and spine and gather functional data. Dr. Sarah, the chiropractor at Cypress Chiropractic uses her highly developed hands to find areas of
Cervical Spine Adjustments: Gentle, targeted adjustments to the cervical spine help restore proper articular alignment and motion to the vertebrae. Relieving mechanical friction and pressure around the nerve roots optimizes axoplasmic flow, addressing the root and allowing downstream tissues to heal.
Postural Re-education & Biomechanical Support: Ergonomic corrections and postural adjustments reduce ongoing strain on the cervical spine and brachial plexus. Removing chronic mechanical stress prevents recurrent nerve irritation. Spinal adjustments automatically improve posture by removing the irritation that posture is trying to avoid.
Extremity Adjustments: Evaluating and adjusting extremities such as the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder provide clearance down the entire nerve pathway. Subluxations not only occur at the joints of the spine, but they can occur at any joint and Cypress Chiropractic considers the whole body.
Conclusion
Hand numbness and pain should never be assumed to originate solely from the wrist. Whether due to outright misdiagnosis where cervical radiculopathy mimics carpal tunnel syndrome, or a double crush scenario where neck subluxations actively aggravate wrist entrapment, the neck plays an essential role in hand health. By evaluating the nervous system as a whole and restoring proper cervical alignment and posture through Cypress Chiropractic care, people can address the root cause of their symptoms and support long-term healing across the entire mind-body system.
Thanks for reading!
Dr. Sarah Kalani Wharton