A Woman's Worst
Nightmare...Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, A Life Altering Injury...
But there is Hope and a Solution.
Women, you are 45% of the
workforce and you are the most effected by this injury.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome is still the number one reported
medical problem, accounting for 50% of all work-related
injuries
- Women are twice as likely to develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
as opposed to your male counterparts
- Up to 36% of all CTS patients require unlimited medical
treatment
It is the 21st century and the costs for work-related
musculoskeletal injuries are skyrocketing upwards of $20
billion dollars a year in workers compensation according to
the U.S. Labor Department and the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration with carpal tunnel syndrome leading the
forefront of the repetitive strain injuries.
In the month of July, 2001, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) held
public hearings to discuss this work-related phenomenon and
see if there is more that can be done to curb the rising
epidemic of repetitive strain injuries. OSHA has redefined
these injuries and now calls them ergonomic injuries. Even
though the term has changed, the results and means in which
you develop carpal tunnel syndrome is still the same. How you
relate directly to the equipment you work with and how the
workstations and work areas are set up, contributes to the
risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome or any other
repetitive strain injury.
WOMEN, NOTHING HAS CHANGED
IN 11 YEARS! Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is still escalating
and threatening to cripple the female workforce and future
generations. OSHA's regulations are still only about the
ergonomic safety of the workplace not your body. ONLY part of
the solution is being recognized. It is time that we take a
stand and demand programs that can keep this epidemic from
ruining our lives and those of our children's.
SURGERY DOES NOT WORK.
It is only treating the symptoms not the cause. Over 260,000
carpal tunnel release surgeries are performed each year with a
success rate that is questionable. Only 23% of all CTS
patients were able to return to their previous professions
following surgery. That is deplorable!
It is time
for all women to unite and demand health care treatments that
can keep you functional and productive.
What is needed here are
treatments that are non-invasive, along with a complete
physical examination that can keep every woman productive and
help her to maintain a quality of life that can reinforce her
lifestyle. The demands on our time are more diverse. No matter
if you are a housewife raising your children, or choose to go
outside the home to work, or doing both, you still use your
hands. They are a necessity of our way of life. We have to
have them. Yes, you can adapt, but if you have them, you don't
want to lose them
Non-invasive therapies first...
There are non-invasive
therapies that can keep you free of all musculoskeletal
injuries. But most insurance companies do not cover them and
that is why most women won't use them. Drugs and surgery is
not the answer anymore. There are too many women, who have
suffered with CTS, had the surgery and still cannot work. Once
it is in your medical records, an employer will not hire you.
Yes or no? That is the scary part of this disorder, it renders
you unable to work and the employer afraid of increasing
worker compensation costs, not knowing if you will have
problems again. There is hope if we look at a new protocol of
healing the body.
Billions of dollars are being spent on alternative therapies
without compensation as how it contributes to our health and well-being.
Maintenance therapies
Maintenance is the only way to
prevent musculoskeletal injuries. Using them on a regular
basis can help you to manage the mechanical mechanisms of your
body needed to help you maintain your body at its optimum
function and productivity. These are acupuncture, chiropractic
and massage therapy. Each therapy plays a part in the
maintenance program.
Acupuncture can help to
regulate the energy of your body and with pain control. Many
women and myself included use acupuncture to help with PMS and
hormonal imbalance. Chiropractic is used to help maintain
structural stability and prevent nerve impingement.
Therapeutic massage therapy is used to prevent injuries, help
with healing an injury, stress relief, pain and returning the
body's muscles to a state of balance and function.
If we look at our health care
system today, it is a sick care system that waits for you to
develop a problem and then tries to figure out how to treat
it. That is the case of carpal tunnel syndrome and any other
disorder.
When I first started
researching carpal tunnel syndrome back in the early 90's, I
found that most doctors and universities didn't know what
caused it, but would operate just because you had symptoms.
Once the wrist was open, they did not always see anything
wrong, but they cut the ligament over the median nerve anyway
to relieve the pain you were experiencing. But after 6 weeks
of healing, you still could not go back to work or continue to
perform the duties you once did. Nothing had changed. The
ligament grew back together and now you had scar tissue
built-up. The symptoms returned as soon as you went back to
work, trying to do the same job again.
Another element in the
equation of carpal tunnel syndrome
Another element of a woman's
health is her chemical balance. Stephen Thompson, a claim
agent for Zenith Insurance Company in San Diego, California
has found that in his investigations, many women have systemic
changes that can cause and contribute to carpal tunnel
syndrome. What this means is a woman's body changes with how
her thyroid functions, hormone fluctuations before, during and
after menopause, (PMS), diabetes, and pregnancy. The
differences in the chemical make-up of a woman's system may
contribute in varying degrees of possible and probable
instrumental causes to CTS. Hormonal changes in a woman's body
are a factor that needs to be looked at as part of the
solution to carpal tunnel pain.
When you go to the doctor to
determine what is causing carpal tunnel, request a complete
physical to see if there is a systemic problem that could be
contributing to your continuing symptoms. Work is a factor,
due to the stress, hours and repetition of the job, but it may
not be the total cause. Your health is your responsibility.
Become a detective. Don't settle and dig deeper for the answer
and what will work for you. Learn more about how your body
works. It is mechanical and it is organic. If you take care of
your body like you would your car, oil, lube and grease it
every 3000 miles, it will run much smoother, function better
and stay free of illness longer.
Positive Steps to Prevention
A good program of exercise and
nutrition are a must. Twenty minutes a day of walking
increases circulation and oxygen needed for all the organs and
muscles to "hum" better and detoxification to take
place. Waste products that cause sore muscles and pain move
out of our body and illness leaves. Eating plenty of the
proper foods in a balanced format that includes more fruits
and vegetables will give your body the necessary vitamins and
minerals it needs to supply you with more stamina and energy
each day. And I will mention the famous Latin term
"Siesta." Rest is absolutely necessary for the body
to repair itself. Lying down for 30 minutes to one hour each
day will help your body to heal, strengthen your back and
increase nutrients to your spine. Did you know that you are
taller in the morning than at night? Lay down and regain your
height.
Here is a quick and easy
technique you can do each day to help strengthen your immune
system, detoxify your body, regain your energy and strengthen
your organs and muscles and get rid of the pain in your
muscles. This technique will make your body "Hum!"
Chapman's Reflexes - The Neurolymphatic Reflex points.
Chapman's Reflexes when rubbed
help to detoxify the organs and muscles and rid them of waste
by-products that cause pain and stiffness. This technique can
be used anytime, anywhere and as much as is needed to give you
the desired results you are looking for - No Pain.
When using this system on a
daily basis, you can strengthen your immune system, by
detoxify your lymphatic system, therefore helping your body to
become stronger, and function more efficiently. All this just
by rubbing points. The goal is to flush metabolic waste
by-products (lactic acid etc) caused by exercise, tension and
stress from the muscles and secondly, effect the overall well-being
of your organs and glands. The muscles will no
longer feel sluggish and the associated organ and gland no
longer in distress and function more efficiently.
How to Use Chapman's
Reflexes - rubbing points
Refer to the illustration of
the neurolymphatic reflex points that shows the map of dots
and dashes. These are the points to rub for the muscles. Even
if you don't know your anatomy, rub all the points for a
complete cleansing of the body.
Using your finger pads for small areas (dots) and your fist or
forearm for the larger areas (dashes), rub deeply and firmly
(depth of pressure scale, 5-7) into each point or shaded area
anywhere from 10 seconds to 5 minutes. As you continue to use
this daily, it will take less time to feel the effects of this
technique as the body is responding more efficiently. Do not
rub so hard you cause pain to yourself. You are performing a
deep neurolymphatic massage.
If you only rub lightly, you
will not get the results necessary for immediate relief. Light
rubbing is only done for an injury to reduce swelling in the
immediate area and the stroking is always done toward the
heart.
What the muscles will feel like:
*An unhealthy muscle feels
fatigued, heavy, weak, sore, burns, is tight and painful to
the touch.
*A healthy muscle feels light, strong, relaxed, energized,
flexible, and free of pain.
This is a great technique for an athlete who is looking to
improve her performance and increase recovery time. The system
works immediately. By flushing the muscles regularly, you will
avoid by-product build-up, soreness, and pain and prevent an
injury. Your body knows the map and all it needs is a
jump-start to remember it.
Good luck and happy rubbing and
know there is a way out of this. You don't have to have carpal
tunnel syndrome.
Kate Montgomery, is a certified
sports massage therapist and Naturopathic physician. She is
the author of End Your Carpal Tunnel Pain Without Surgery.
Note: Announced in August the state of Michigan declared that
women are 50% of the workforce. |
