If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you might need to reduce inflammation your body to either prevent carpal tunnel syndrome or at least subdue the symptoms. If you have inflammation, this can cause even greater swelling of the ligaments and joints so the pressure is put on the median nerve, which can cause CTS symptoms to flare up. How can you reduce your information?
Most CTS anti-inflammatory treatments begin with NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen or aspirin. If you have difficulties with aspirin or other NSAID medications, of course you won’t be able to take these; in addition, some say that you should stay away from aspirin anyway if you’ve got carpal tunnel syndrome because the blood thinning caused by NSAIDs can simply make symptoms worse. If you can take these, though, you should be able to get over-the-counter versions of these drugs, and therefore not need any prescriptions. Make sure you take the drugs with plenty of water, so that your body can fully absorb the active ingredients and therefore make the best use of them. These drugs will come with instructions, which you should be careful to follow. They’re not benign simply because they’re over-the-counter. So make sure you follow directions, which will usually say that they should be taken every four to six hours, not to exceed a certain dosage within 24 hours. Make sure you follow label directions carefully. These drugs do cause side effects such as stomach bleeding if not respected, so make sure you do.
In addition, you can help carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms by minimizing use of the wrist that’s affection as much as possible for about two weeks. After this amount of time, you can try to use it more and see if taking the NSAID medications made any difference. If possible, wear a wrist brace at night to further stabilize the affected wrist and help it heal. If it’s not feeling much better, you should see your doctor and ask for further intervention. Special anti-inflammatory drugs only available by prescription, such as corticosteroids, may be able to help your pain. These are more powerful than the drugs that are available over the counter, and they do contain steroidal medications, which may have side effects.
Other anti-inflammatory pursuits to follow include changing your diet such that you include more omega-3 fatty acids, found in cold-water fish, flax seeds or pumpkin seeds, as well as in smaller amounts in walnuts or canola oil. Olive oil, too, can also help reduce inflammation, even though it’s not an omega-3 fatty acid. Reduce or even eliminate your consumption of red meat, and make sure the cuts you do eat are very, very lean if you must have red meat. Reduce consumption of dairy products and replace some of it with soy products, which also have anti-inflammatory properties. Focus on eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially green, leafy vegetables. Fresh or frozen berries, too, are good choices to include in your diet as long as they’re not overly processed and don’t contain high amounts of sugar. Ideally, you want to eat unadulterated foods as close to their natural state as possible. For the time being, eliminate as many refined starches as you can, including potatoes and corn, and focus on whole grains only.
If you think this is excessive to treat carpal tunnel syndrome, at least give it a try before you make a final decision. You may find that making these changes so improves your symptoms that the small amount of deprivation you feel by following a much stricter diet is absolutely worth it. In addition, there are some exercises you can do to strengthen your hand, wrist and forearm so that your CTS symptoms are reduced or even eliminated.
