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Do Carpal Tunnel Herbal Supplements Work?

Dr. Z • Sep 26, 2020

Do Carpal Tunnel Herbal Supplements Work?

Do you take carpal tunnel herbal supplements? Do you believe they help treat carpal tunnel syndrome? If so, you’re not alone.


Many people suffer with this progressive and painful disorder. And to avoid surgery or prolonged therapy, they take herbal supplements to ease their symptoms. But do supplements really work? Here's what experts say.


pins & needles

Expert opinion about carpal tunnel herbal supplements

You're also not alone if you suffer with carpal tunnel syndrome. The incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome is relatively high, affecting nearly 2 million Americans each year. And approximately half of these patients take carpal tunnel herbal supplements to relieve their symptoms. 


Many people take supplements with the "it can't hurt" attitude. They try supplements, ice baths, and adhesive tape remedies in the hopes they will work to relieve symptoms. And that would be far better than having carpal tunnel surgery.


But today, other well-recognized nonsurgical treatment options are readily available. In most cases, they're more effective than surgery. And they're surely better than taking herbal supplements.


In spite of all this, herbal supplements are still used by many people. But despite their poplar use, there are no reliable clinical studies showing herbal supplements are really an effective treatment for this disorder.

carpal tunnel sufferer

Specifically, after years of clinical research, the most reliable evidence shows that when it comes to treating carpal tunnel, herbal supplements have little (if any) effect. But as with most herbal remedies, the main problem is poor quality research. As a result, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) cannot conclude that carpal tunnel herbal supplements have any effect whatsoever.


Carpal tunnel syndrome is a serious condition. That means it requires serious medical attention. If not properly treated, carpal tunnel will almost always worsen. That's why the IOM says patients should not rely of supplements to treat carpal tunnel syndrome.

median nerve distribution

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?

The condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome is actually a neurological disorder of the median nerve. The median nerve controls sensations from the fingers and palm of the hand. 


The actual problem begins when you overwork your flexor tendons. These are the ropy structures that pull your fingers and make them curl. The tendons run from the muscles in the forearm, through the wrist joint, and to the individual fingers. 


Overworked tendons tend to inflame and swell. No one is really certain why this happens. But in the narrow space inside the wrist joint (called the "carpal tunnel"), the swelling pushes against the median nerve which runs adjacent to the tendons. As the tendons swell more and more, they eventually crush the median nerve.

Every symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome is the result of that crushing action. The symptoms are felt in the fingers and palm and include:


  • Pain
  • Numbness
  • Tingling (pins & needles)
  • Burning
  • Weakness
  • Loss of finger and hand dexterity
taking an herbal supplement

Why people believe in carpal tunnel herbal supplements

In almost every instance, the origin of pain is inflammation. And carpal tunnel syndrome is certainly due to inflamed tendons.   


So logically, if you reduce the inflammation inside the wrist, you should reduce carpal tunnel symptoms.


How do you reduce inflammation? There’s no debate that certain foods and herbs have anti-inflammatory effects. This has been known and verified for decades. As a result, using natural anti-inflammatory agents for certain kinds of pain relief can be quite effective.


However, no serious study has ever shown an herbal product having an effect on the wrist joint, particularly carpal tunnel syndrome. Therefore, local inflammation reduction (at the wrist joint) is not possible with foods or supplements.


In short, it takes more than herbs to reduce tendon inflammation and ease compression on the median nerve.

Common carpal tunnel herbal supplements

Despite the evidence, many people still claim some anti-inflammatory substances can provide local relief. Today, the most popular carpal tunnel herbal supplements claiming to reduce inflammation include:


  • Capsaicin
  • Turmeric
  • Bromelain
  • Ginger
  • Cloves
  • St. John’s wort
  • Thyme
  • White willow bark
  • Frankincense
carpal tunnel supplements

Side effects

Often, manufacturers will combine some of the above herbals together, or with other ingredients. The hope is to make the supplement more potent against inflammation.


So if some people claim that carpal tunnel herbal supplements work (even though science says otherwise), why not just take them as a precaution?


The problem with that is that many herbal supplements can have side effects. Some side effects are serious.


There are no requirements for herbal supplement manufacturers to report their side effects to the FDA. That's because the FDA considers such products foods. 

carpal tunnel supplements side effects

The most common side effects doctors see with carpal tunnel herbal supplements include:

 

  • Allergic reactions
  • Depressed breathing
  • Nausea
  • Drop in blood pressure
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Liver problems
  • Abdominal cramps
  • Heartburn
  • Diarrhea
  • Bloating
  • Sleep disturbance
talk to your doctor

Get serious help for carpal tunnel syndrome

It's important to recognize that carpal tunnel syndrome is a serious medical condition. Therefore, it must be treated with serious medicine. Carpal tunnel herbal supplements just won't do what's needed.


Remember, there's no reliable scientific evidence to show you can treat this painful condition with supplements. Actually, you're just wasting money on such supplements to relieve symptoms.


More importantly, you're losing valuable therapy time by allowing the condition to progress. This makes treatment using more standard remedies much more difficult.


If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, get serious therapy now to effectively reduce tendon inflammation inside your wrist joint. Only then will symptoms resolve. Your doctor can give you direction about how to do this.

Conclusion

Taking carpal tunnel herbal supplements is a popular therapy for this painful disorder. And the logic for taking herbals seems sound; because some herbals have anti-inflammatory effects. But it's a false association. There isn't a single credible medical study which demonstrates herbal supplements have any effect whatsoever on carpal tunnel syndrome.

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