Hot and Cold Transition Baths or hot and cold contrast baths have helped my hands feel better from carpal tunnel. I first learned about them from my hand therapist.
How to contrast bath hands:
I fill 2 pitchers, 1 with hot water from the tap, and another with cold tap water plus a few ice cubes.
I dump my arm into one pitcher for 60 seconds, then into the other for 60 seconds. Dry hands on a towel, then I repeat about 3-5 times. This helps by improving circulation to your arm. I do this every day from 1 to 3 times.
After a few weeks, my hands started feeling better than before.
Prolotherapy and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Prolotherapy is a derivation of “proliferative injection therapy” and is also known as sclerotherapy. It is a new therapy where a sugar water (dextrose) solution is injected into areas where ligaments are weak (ie the wrist), triggering the body to heal the injury and thereby naturally strengthen the joint. It unproven because there are very few studies of its safety and efficacy and no proof that the theory that underlies it is scientifically sound. The biggest risk in Prolotherapy treatment is nerve damage from an injection placed too close.
Webmd has an article on Prolotherapy and low back pain where it says the jury is still out.
“..they may reduce pain and help you be more active if they are used in addition to other treatment such as exercise and spinal manipulation”
If you have tried Prolotherapy, leave a comment with your experience.
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