Confirming what it is
Numb fingers and wrist pain aren’t always carpal tunnel syndrome. Dr. Toth starts with a careful exam and orthopedic tests to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other causes.
Symptoms we help with
- Numbness or tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers
- Pain with typing, gripping or repetitive work
- Waking at night with wrist or hand pain
- Hand weakness
The conservative approach
If the small bones in your wrist aren’t moving well, gentle wrist mobilization can restore motion and take pressure off the median nerve. Dr. Toth often suggests a wrist splint at night so your wrist doesn’t stay bent while you sleep.
Desk posture and your neck can contribute too. The nerve to your hand starts in your neck, and pressure in two places along it can add up. So he checks your neck as well, and may use light traction there.
How we track progress
We rate pain and function together on a 0 to 10 scale. A typical goal is to reach around 5 or 6 within 30 days and around 3 over the next 30, settling into occasional symptoms between 0 and 2 over the longer term.
Dr. Toth won’t promise you a perfect zero. If the ligament across your wrist has thickened from years of strain, surgery may be the right answer, and he’ll talk through referral options. When it makes sense, he recommends trying conservative care first.