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Carpal Karaoke: Not as Fun as the Original

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What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in your hand that is surrounded by bones and ligaments. In this area is something called your median nerve.  When it gets too compressed, you can experience numbness, tingling and weakness in your hand and arm. This can happen when you overuse your hands and wrists.  A big cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is too much typing on keyboards.  But there are many possible causes.  A wrist fracture can be a cause.  Arthritis can deform small bones in your wrist and be a cause.  And some people just have a small carpal tunnel because they were born that way, and that can put them at extra risk of developing this syndrome.

What is it like to have it?

Well, it’s not much fun.  The nerve involved provides sensation to the palm side of your thumb and fingers, except your little finger. It also sends nerve signals to move the muscles around the base of your thumb, which is what allows you to use your thumb for all the things a thumb is useful for.  So, when you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you may experience numbness, tingling, and pain.  You may also have weakness in you hand wrist and arm.  These symptoms can range from mild to very extreme and debilitating.

 

What Can I Do?

If you are having symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, there is help for you.  First of all, remember how we mentioned that repetitive motions like typing can be a problem? If you find that your symptoms are worse after doing an activity, then stop doing it.  However, not all of us simply stop typing for the rest of our lives.  (I mean, I have to finish typing this up right now) Luckily, you can help yourself out a lot if you simply take breaks.  Taking a break for few minutes from whatever activity is making things worse can be huge benefit.  So, if your symptoms are flaring up, give it rest for a few minutes, or as long as you can.

There is also a simple stretch that you can do at home on your own that can help.  Here’s what you do:

 

  1. Extend your arm in front of you with your palm up.
  2. Bend your wrist, pointing your hand toward the floor.
  3. With your other hand, gently bend your wrist farther until you feel a mild to moderate stretch in your forearm.
  4. Hold for at least 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 4 times.

Last but not least, ice can help a great deal.  This is a problem with things getting too inflamed. Ice is a great solution for this inflammation.  Ice down your wrist, hand and arm area for 10 minutes at a time, no more than once per hour.  For more info on icing, check out our post about it here.

(Queen Elsa never gets carpal tunnel syndrome)

Come See Us

Of course, if you have persistent symptoms do no hesitate to come in to the office and get treated. For more severe cases we have a lot we can do to heal and strengthen your hands and arms and get you feeling better as quickly as possible.

Post written by : Tom Farnsworth, PT

Fore Ways to Improve Your Golf Game

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Lower Your Score

The Arizona Golf Association estimates that approximately 8 million rounds of golf are played in Arizona each year. As the weather begins to get warmer in Arizona, there will be an increased number of tee times booked for the local golfers. The age range of the golf community can span from 10 years old and younger to more than 100. For some, playing golf is a daily or weekly event. For others it could be the first time you pick up a 5 iron in months. Golf is a complicated game. It requires a number of body movements that coordinate into one fluid motion. So, what can you do to prevent injuries while golfing and to potentially lower your score?

  1. Eliminate Pain: Often times, people may have lingering injuries that prevent them from an activity like golfing. It is important to address the pain that you may have. Too much pain can lead to compensating and causing yourself further injury.

 

  1. Improve Mobility/Flexibility With different moving body parts throughout the swing, it is essential that your body can move well at each individual joint. However, your joints must then work and move together to allow your golf swing to occur effectively.

 

  1. Improve Strength: Strength is required to create motion at the joints. It also ensures that all your body parts are aligned to hit the ball straight. Your core strength is essential to start and control your movement.  Strength in the distal limbs can help address swing faults.

 

  1. Improve Balance: Dynamic balance is the ability to coordinate all the movements performed at each individual joint while maintaining a good position for follow through. Balance is key to making your golf swing happen and eliminating the risk of injury.

It’s important to lower frustration levels too.

We Can Help

All of these aspects should be practiced and incorporated into your daily routine in order to help your everyday life. They are also crucial to your golf swing.  The coordination of all of these things will help reduce the risk of injury. The same principals apply whether you are a seasoned golfer or someone who is picking up the club for the first time. If you are a golfer athlete and feel that one of these things can benefit you, feel free to contact our office to see how we can assist in improving your game.

Written by Casey Badder PT

Corona Virus (COVID-19) Precautions

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At Farnsworth Physical Therapy, we take our patient’s health and safety very seriously. You may have some growing concerns about the corona virus (COVID-19), and the good news is that our clinics are considered a low risk of exposure. We are taking tangible steps to help prevent the spread of disease and protect our patients and staff. We are sharing some of the steps we are taking and are encouraging you to do the same. Remember, just because you aren’t at risk for serious health issues related to the Corona virus doesn’t mean that you aren’t a carrier and a risk to someone who is. Following these suggestions can be a good step towards minimizing the spread of the virus.

STAY AT HOME IF YOU ARE SICK

A key point is keeping people who are ill away from other people. Therefore, we have instructed any staff feeling ill to remain at home. We are asking the same of any patients feeling ill.

PRACTICE PROPER HAND & WRIST HYGIENE

Wash your hands – and your wrists- often. Our staff regularly wash their hands between patients, but we are placing extra emphasis on this. We ask patients to wash their hands, or use hand sanitizer, before and after treatment.

COVER YOUR COUGHS & SNEEZES WITH A TISSUE

Please cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. If no tissue is handy, sneeze or cough into a bent elbow. Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing regularly.

AVOID TOUCHING YOUR EYES, NOSE OR MOUTH

People frequently touch their eyes, nose or mouth without even realizing it. Try and eliminate this behavior, particularly after touching objects or being around someone who is coughing or sneezing.

CLEANING & DISINFECTION IN OUR CLINIC

We have always practiced good cleaning and disinfecting protocols and have increased the frequency and depth of those efforts. Rest assured that we are paying extra attention to items that are frequently touched.

 

We understand that this is a time of uncertainty and fear, and we want you to feel safe in our office and in our community. As with any part of your treatment, if you have questions or concerns, you may speak to your physical therapist about them at any time. Please remember to look out for not only yourself, but also for others as well. We look forward to continuing to provide the best care possible for our patients.

CRPS

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What is CRPS?

I think we can all agree that being in pain sucks. There are many conditions that cause pain, but only a few that have pain in the name. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS, is a condition which, like its name implies, is very painful. It was previously referred to as Shoulder Hand Syndrome. It’s a type of chronic pain that mostly affects your hand, arm or a leg. It usually develops after another type of injury.

I have seen this condition mostly in the hand, however I have seen lower extremities affected as well. This is something that is not fully understood. Medical science isn’t sure exactly why this pain happens.  It is thought to be an over-activity of a person’s peripheral or central nervous system.

Symptoms

 As the name implies, the first symptom is pain. This pain is way out of proportion to what it should be for the specific injury that occurred. It’s usually described as a burning or throbbing. The area is usually extremely sensitive to colder temperatures but heat can bring relief. I had a patient recently who used very descriptive words to explain her pain, although most are not appropriate to mention here.

Your skin can be extremely sensitive to the touch and anything covering your skin can cause intense pain. There can even be a different color and texture to your skin where it may look shiny. Joint tightness and swelling are common. This can cause weakness and muscle atrophy. This makes it a lot more difficult to use this particular limb. These symptoms can last anywhere from days to years. It’s most likely to improve when treated early on.

Treatment

The majority of treatment, at least initially, aims to reduce the painful symptoms. Modalities such as heat can be very soothing. Patients with CRPS can respond very well to electric stimulation at well. Due to the sensitive nature of this condition desensitization techniques are often used as well such as massage techniques, range of motion techniques, and using strengthening of the affected limb. All this improves blood flow and restores damage done to the nervous system. Medications can be beneficial which are proscribed under the direction of your physician.

Any way you look at it, this condition is not fun, however you should not have to go through this alone. A licensed physical therapist can assist you to reduce your pain and get back the use of whatever part is hurting. If this is something that we can help you with, please give us a call.

Written by Rod Walker PT

 

Check the Tape

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What is Kinesio Tape?

Kinesio Tape is technique we use to treat all kinds of issues and injuries.  Most people are familiar with athletic tape, but Kinesio taping is different.  White athletic tapes restrict movement and restrict blood flow.  Kinesio tape  supports and increases flexibility.It can even increase blood flow to an area. It’s made of 100% cotton, and it’s elastic, hypoallergenic, and latex-free. Its thickness and weight allows for full functional movement and far less restriction than traditional tapes. You can also wear it for up to 5 consecutive days. It’s also water resistant. Many people associate taping with athletes. However, most Kinesio tape techniques were developed for non-athletic uses.

How do you use it?

This technique stabilizes and supports a joint such as a shoulder, knee or elbow.  It can also support injuries such as a neck that has experienced whiplash.  If you have an injury or have had surgery that is causing swelling, Kinesio tape may help to decrease it. It decreases pressure between your skin and the tissue underneath. This allows excess fluids that have accumulated since your injury to move through. Taping can also help with dealing with scar tissue.  After an injury scar tissue can often form which inhibits your range of motion and mobility.  Taping can gently pull on scar tissue.  It stays on for long period of time. This gives you a long term but low intensity stretch to the tight scar tissue.  The benefits can be big, but leave this kind of taping to the professionals.

It Takes an Expert

Applying  might seem simple, but not just anyone can do it. When we correctly apply the tape it can be complicated.  With some applications you need to move you body a certain way during taping, or we use a specific amount of tension to get results.  This makes it very difficult to apply if you don’t have the correct training. You also need a knowledge of the underlying anatomy that you are working with.  However, all of our therapists are trained experts with Kinesio tape.  If taping  can help with your current problem, our therapists can get you taped and experiencing the maximum benefits.

Written by Tom Farnsworth PT

Oh, Cramp!

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Cramps

One topic which has come up a lot with my patients lately is the issue of muscle cramps. You probably have experienced cramps yourself.  You are sleeping peacefully and all of the sudden there is an extreme pain in your leg, or your back. Suddenly, you have a spasm where it becomes difficult for you to move. This can be very irritating and painful and it may take a little while for you to return to normal. Why does this happen?

I myself experienced some bad cramping after a particularly difficult workout while I was swimming. I had pushed off the wall doing several laps and that night I woke up in agony. This can occur when there has been an overuse of your muscles. My body was not used to this repeated activity.  In a measure to protect itself, my body decided to contract the muscles I had overused.  To put it simply, I had cramps.

What is the cause?

There can be other reasons you might develop cramps as well.

  1. Poor Blood Supply: Cramps can occur due to inadequate blood supply. Narrowing of your arteries can cause cramp like symptoms in your legs or feet. This usually happens when you are in motion and generally stops once you stop exercising.

 

  1. Neurogenic claudication: This is a condition which has similar symptoms as those listed above, however it is due to issues in the neurological system. Stenosis, or a narrowing of the opening where your nerves exit the spinal cord, can cause pain in your legs while you are moving and exercising. This can also mimic sciatica or radiate pain down your legs. In any case, it is very painful.

 

  1. Dehydration: Dehydration can lead to a poor balance of potassium, calcium or magnesium in your system which can also cause cramps. Some medications can deplete these minerals.

Those who are most affected by this are people with certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure, the elderly (who are prone to dehydration), athletes who do not properly hydrate during activity, or those who live in a hot climate. Pregnancy is also known to lead to uncomfortable cramps.

How Can I Stop the Cramps?

What can be done to avoid and overcome these things? Well, the most important thing is to keep yourself hydrated. Drinking plenty of liquids is essential to your health. What is the right amount? Well, that depends on your age, activity level, medical condition or the weather where you live. It is best to speak with your health care provider in order to come up with the answer. Another thing you can do is stretch your muscles which are the most prone to cramping.  Your calves and your hamstrings are major offenders when it comes to cramps. There are several stretches for your calves which are good but I have one favorite. It looks like this:

 

Roll up a towel and step on it, keeping it on the front 1/3 of your foot. Hold this stretch for about 30-35 seconds and do it about 3 times. This supports the plantar fascia and stretches your calves very safely. Do this after activity, or before bed if you often get cramps at night.

Always seek medical attention if your symptoms are extremely severe, or if the pain is associated with swelling, extreme tenderness, or skin changes. Also, if you have weakness that you cannot explain. If you have any questions, please see your doctor or another health care practitioner. We are happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

Post written by Rod Walker, PT

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Areas Served:

Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Phoenix, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, Tempe, Globe, Gold Canyon

Postal Address

Gilbert Office
2550 E. Guadalupe Rd. Suite 111
Gilbert, AZ 85234
Phone: (480) 633-0666

Mesa Office
342 N Val Vista Dr. Suite 106
Mesa, AZ 85213
Phone: (480) 325-3310