Using ultrasonic therapy to treat carpal tunnel syndrome can be effective in relieving pain, numbness and other symptoms. Home units and doctor-applied devices can be used, although most home units are generally less effective. While some people experience little or no effect from treatment, generally if you have mild to moderate symptoms, you may find ultrasonic therapy to be a simple and cost-effective alternative to more expensive treatments, including surgery.
Introduction
If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, applying ultrasound can be a painless and effective choice of treatment. While scientific studies about its effectiveness are mixed, most doctors have concluded that it is beneficial when the proper device is used and when it is used regularly, provided your carpal tunnel syndrome is of mild to moderate severity. You can purchase home units for treatment, but your doctor has devices that are more powerful. The advantage of home units is their low-cost and convenience, although their effectiveness may be less.
What it Does
Various products are available to you and your doctor to apply ultrasound therapy to your wrist and forearm. They are hand-held devices, which look like telephone receivers. Each ultrasound machine has a component that produces high frequency sound vibrations. The sound vibrations are produced at a high energy level and at a frequency, or vibration, speed that is too fast for you or animals to hear. Since this sound energy can travel deep into your body tissues, it is absorbed inside the carpal tunnel and in the adjacent tissues.
How it Works
According to the "Journal of Athletic Training," the high frequency sound vibrations are absorbed by your tissues, which causes two things to happen inside your wrist and forearm: heat is produced and your tissues are vibrated. These two effects combine to promote nutrient absorption for damaged cells and tissues and to increase blood flow in the area. Since carpal tunnel syndrome is essentially damage to the median nerve due to swelling of the adjacent tendons inside the carpal tunnel, such effects can promote healing. The healing occurs because local swelling is reduced and inflammation is inhibited, thereby relieving pressure on the median nerve. As pressure is relieved, pain and other symptoms begin to dissipate.
Treatment Protocol
According to AidYourCTS, a certain protocol for treatment should be followed: First, place your arm comfortably on a cushion located on a table. A technician can then apply a gel to your wrist and forearm to conduct the sound energy from the device to your skin. Next, the device is rubbed over your wrist and forearm for about 20 minutes. This treatment is repeated daily for about two weeks, and you might feel relief of your symptoms in the first few days. If your doctor is performing the treatment, he may want to change the machine's settings to increase power. Once a good therapeutic level is decided upon, you will continue treatments twice weekly for another five to six weeks.
Cautions
There are a number of cautions to consider when using a home device for ultrasound treatment, according to AidYourCTS. Use your home device only on your wrist and forearm, and not on open wounds or sores. Always use conductive gel. Do not submerge your device in water to clean it. Carefully read the instructions provided with your home device. Never use your device on children under age 16. While not scientifically conclusive, prolonged use may result in tissue and nerve damage. For ultrasound treatment by your doctor or at home, understand that you may not benefit from treatment at all and might have to resort to another therapy.
References
- Ultrasound Therapy
- Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2003, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD003219
- What is Therapeutic Ultrasound?
- "Journal of Athletic Training"; Three-MHz Ultrasound Heats Deeper; B. Hayes, et al.; Sept. 2004
