Acupuncture for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome can cause reduced function, numbness, and tingling in the hand and arm due to median nerve compression or entrapment.

According to 2017 research published in Brain, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies showed lasting changes in the brain after acupuncture treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome.

The study showed that “electro-acupuncture can produce improvement in symptoms, median nerve function, and S1 neuroplasticity, with objective changes following therapy (median nerve function, functional S1 neuroplasticity) directly predicting long-term symptom improvement.”

These changes corresponded with improved brain function and a reduction in carpal tunnel symptoms.

It is a follow up to a 2014 study also published in Brain that highlighted that carpal tunnel syndrome is affected by issues in the primary somatosensory cortex of the brain. The study helped link dysfunction in neuroplasticity in this part of the brain and functional deficits seen in carpal tunnel syndrome.

Acupuncture works in many ways, and this study highlights how it works by affecting the neurological system and how we experience pain.

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