Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Centennial, CO

Q: How do I know if it is carpal tunnel or my neck?

From inside the hand, you mostly cannot, which is why the exam exists. The nerves in the neck go down into the hands, so compression at either end produces numbness, tingling, and weakness that feel alike. Clues that point neckward include neck or trap tension riding along, symptoms in positions where the neck is held still, and pain radiating down the arm. The exam traces the whole route and answers it properly, which beats guessing with a brace.

Q: Why hasn't my wrist brace fixed it?

Braces help wrist-level compression. If months of bracing have changed nothing, one live possibility is that your compression does not live at the wrist, and the brace has been guarding the wrong checkpoint while a pinched nerve in the neck kept right on transmitting. That situation is exactly what the exam here is designed to catch before more months go by.

Q: Why do my hands go numb at night?

Sleep parks your neck and wrists in sustained positions for hours, and sustained positions are where nerve compression does its best work. Hands that go dead overnight or on the steering wheel are describing positional pressure somewhere along the nerve's route. Which position, and which location, is what the evaluation sorts out.

Q: Can chiropractic actually help carpal tunnel symptoms?

When the symptoms are coming from the neck, treating the neck is the whole answer, and that is a large share of the hand cases that walk in here. Adjustments take pressure off the nerve at its exit, dry needling releases the muscle around it, and posture work keeps the fix from being undone daily. When the compression truly is at the wrist, you hear that honestly, along with what your realistic options are.

Q: Do I need a nerve conduction study first?

Not to start. The exam and, when indicated, cervical x-rays answer the first and cheapest question: is the neck involved? If your case needs testing beyond that, or is not responding the way a neck-driven case should, you get pointed to the right specialist with the neck work already documented. If you already have a study, bring the report. It feeds straight into the picture.

Q: Can I avoid carpal tunnel surgery?

Nobody honest promises that from a website. What can be said: this office exists to fix as much as possible without drugs or surgery, a meaningful share of hand numbness is neck-driven and responds to conservative care, and finding out costs $29, not an operation. And if your case genuinely belongs with a surgeon, you will be told so plainly, with the rest already ruled out.

Wrist vs Neck Evaluation
Hand Numbness Relief
Surgery-Free First Options

Carpal Tunnel Care in Centennial, CO

Woman holding her hand and wrist with carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms in Centennial CO

In many countries, such as the United States, carpal tunnel syndrome has become the default explanation for any aches felt in the hands. This is where people often purchase wrist braces and ergonomic keyboards in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort in their hands and some even undergo surgery to treat the condition. However, these efforts are often futile in improving the symptoms of the condition, as the nerve is being pinched at the wrist in the first place.

The nerves that connect to the hand start at the neck and travel down the full length of the arm to reach the individual’s fingers. These nerves may become compressed within the wrist area. Before seeking treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, Dr. Tony Nicholas from Axis Health and Wellness in Centennial can answer the questions of those who have never thought to ask such questions about their condition.

What are the Common Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Numbness in the hand
Hands that feel numb on the steering wheel
Aching feeling when typing
Dropping things because the hands stopped functioning as intended.

These symptoms alone won’t tell where the nerve is being compressed because the neck can cause similar symptoms in the hand. However, they require completely different treatments.

Is the Nerve Problem Coming from the Wrist or Neck?

Overusing the median nerve in the wrist can happen when the nerve is compressed as they pass through the wrist. However, hand numbness is one of the most common things a pinched nerve in the cervical spine produces, and Dr. Toney can examine the hand and neck symptoms. Misaligned vertebrae can put pressure on the nerves while they travel down into the hands, and they create symptoms that look like carpal tunnel syndrome even when the wrist itself is not involved.

“Too many times doctors focus in on maybe one or two things that the patient is talking about and don’t really put the full picture in.”

Dr. Tony Nicholas, D.C., on why his exams start with everything

Treating the entire area won’t fix the problem, so a proper exam is needed to target the root cause of the pain before any treatment plan starts.

How the Evaluation Works

1 The full picture, not the headline. The symptoms matter, but so do the other parts of the arms, including anything that may seem unrelated.
2 An exam tracing the nerve path. The doctors will check if the neck is the source, and imaging can help identify misalignments that can affect the nerves rather than the doctors relying on pure guesswork.
3 X-rays of the cervical spine when indicated. If the neck is the suspect, films show the misalignments pressing on nerves instead of guessing at them.
4 A straight answer. Neck-related cases are treated in this phase, and if the compression is truly at the wrist, an honest assessment will let the patient know what conservative care can do or if a referral is the right course of action.

How Neck-Driven Hand Symptoms Get Treated?

Chiropractic adjustments to the cervical spine can relieve the pressure, especially in areas where the nerves end.
Dry needling in the cervical area for the muscle spasm that clamps around an irritated nerve.
SoftWave therapy where soft tissue along the path needs healing.
Posture and structural correction when the keyboard position that caused it is still waiting for you every morning.

How Long Does It Take?

Timelines can vary, but more frequent visits can take the pressure off the nerve, and then they tend to wind down after a few more sessions. The right experts can do weekly re-evaluations, especially if they see changes with the hands and if they notice that the pattern of numbness is changing. If they find nothing meaningful around the 8th or 12th visit, the patient will get referred to a wrist specialist, especially if the neck has already been ruled out.

Get Medical Care First for the following:

The numbness is spreading into your face, which needs a stroke ruled out immediately.
The hand symptoms follow a trauma where a fracture needs ruling out.
The hand is rapidly losing strength or muscle mass, since this needs urgent evaluation wherever the cause sits.

How Much Does it Cost?

Many might hesitate to undergo an examination, but they might be surprised that the treatment can be as low as $29, and this can be a small price to pay for learning which end of the arm is actually the problem. Many clinics can accept insurance except Medicaid. However, payment plans can also be available including no interest options. Credit cards and Cherry Cash can be used, and there are no-interest options to make everything more affordable.

Carpal Tunnel FAQs

How do I know if it is carpal tunnel or my neck?

The condition of carpal tunnel syndrome begins inside the hand. Many people are unaware that they have carpal tunnel syndrome. The nerve in the neck can travel down into the hands. If the nerve is compressed in the neck or the hands, then symptoms will appear. The presence of tension in the neck and the pain radiating towards the arm are clues that show the location of the problem.

A proper examination of the body can reveal the cause of the symptoms and provide a solution.

Why hasn’t my wrist brace fixed it?

While braces are designed to apply compression to the wrist, if they have been worn for several months without any improvement in the condition of the individual’s wrist, it is possible that the problem is located elsewhere in the body. For instance, the pinched nerve in the neck could be causing the pain to radiate down to the wrist, even if the individual is wearing a wrist brace.

Examinations are necessary to determine the cause of the pain.

Why do my hands go numb at night?

Sleep tends to park certain parts of the body, like the neck, in a sustained position for hours, and this is where nerve compression can start. The hands can go numb overnight while driving, and the steering wheel can point to the pressure on the nerve caused by the position of the arm.

The evaluation determines where along the nerve the pressure is coming from.

Can chiropractic actually help carpal tunnel symptoms?

If the symptoms are coming from the neck, then it is necessary to treat the neck. Dry needling and adjustments to the neck can help to alleviate the symptoms caused by the compression of the nerves at the exit points of the neck. Posture exercises will also prevent the patient from undoing any of the work that has been done to provide relief from the symptoms.

If the compression is at the wrist, then there is no treatment that can be performed for the patient; the patient will have to live with the symptoms of the condition.

Do I need a nerve conduction study first?

Not necessarily because the exam will indicate whether a nerve conduction is needed first or a cervical x-ray is enough to answer whether the neck is involved. If the case needs more testing, the doctor will often point the patient to the right specialist with full documentation of what they did with their assessment.

If you already have results from prior examination, bring them over so they can help with the diagnosis.

Can I avoid carpal tunnel surgery?

This is a case-to-case basis because no one can generally determine if one needs surgery through a website alone. With that said, the right clinic exists in order to check whether an individual can be fine with medication or if they need surgery. Finding out can cost $29 and not necessarily the full price of an operation.

And if your case is already examined by a surgeon, you will be told so plainly, with the rest already ruled out.

Check the Whole Wire, Not Just the Plug

The hand is the end of a long electrical run that usually starts at the neck. Numbness in the hand is just one symptom of a problem with the nerve that runs to the hand. Before starting treatment for such a condition, it is necessary to get a full examination of the patient. Axis Health and Wellness is located in Denver and serves patients from Centennial, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Aurora, Parker, Castle Rock and the south Denver metro area. So, if you live in any of these areas, it would be best to visit us for an examination.

Request an Appointment (303) 221-1185