In this blog I will present a case study of a woman whose Carpal Tunnel Syndrome was alleviated through the methods of massage, stretching and biomechanic adjustment that I outlined in my previous two entries – A New Perspective on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Solutions.

Being in the dental profession, Dr. Bonar’s hands were always closed around a hand piece or small instrument, with pressure, for  8-10 hours a day.    The right wrist and palm of her hand would ache and throb and was tender to the touch.  These symptoms were so bad that she regularly needed to take ibuprofen in the afternoons to get her through the day.     These symptoms continued for about 5 years until she finally began treatment at Dorfman Kinesiology.

The cause and solution to Dr. Bonar’s symptoms were immediately evident to me.  I did manual massage on the effected areas, which opened up the space in the carpal tunnel area and hand that was constricted and swollen.  According to Dr. Bonar, this work on her wrist and hand “prevented me from needing surgery in that area ”.   In addition to the massage, I instructed Dr. Bonar on “in between patient exercises” to continue opening the space in the carpal tunnel area during working hours.  These exercises proved to be highly effective in managing her symptoms outside of the clinic.   (Click here for a video demonstration of these exercises.)

One final step in resolving this case involved a biomechanic evaluation of Dr. Bonar in her working environment.    I visited her dental office, checked out her mechanics and offered simple corrections that would help prevent future problems in the carpal tunnel area.   Dr. Bonar was so pleased with this intervention that she scheduled an in-service for all Grand Dentistry staff to meet with me to talk about correct biomechanics and dental-specific stretching.  She also arranged for me to observe all the staff, from front desk workers to dental hygienists, in their working environment.  I followed up on these observations with one-to-one consultations that addressed problematic biomechanics and as well as specific injury prevention and rehabilitation issues.

Dr. Bonar reports that, since my visit, Grand Dentistry has experienced less work-related injuries and absences.  According to Dr. Bonar,  “all dentists should take a proactive approach to keeping their bodies, especially their hands and wrists, 100% healthy to better serve their patients longer.”  In keeping with this proactive approach she continues to work with me on a regular basis for maintenance and remains diligent with her stretches and exercises.

Dr. Bonar’s situation is a case in point to one of my favorite saying:  It’s not what you do but how you do it.   Although it is true that dental professionals are at a high risk for experiencing Carpal Tunnel symptoms, they are not in anyway destined for this condition just because of their profession.   Anyone in the dental field, or any profession that puts a lot of stress on the hands and wrists, can Feel Better Forever with these simple methods for correcting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.      If you are experiencing pain or numbness in your hands or wrists, take your healthcare into the best possible hands and contact us today.

For this second blog in our series on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome I will focus on prevention and self-care.   Our original blog on this topic,  which offered an alternative perspective on CTS,  spoke about hand positioning and biomechanics as primary causes of CTS symptoms.  One of the great things about such a perspective is that each individual is empowered to make simple adjustments in hand positioning and movement to prevent and alleviate pain and numbness.   It is not necessary to have a medical degree or surgery to effectively address these issues.    Watch this video to learn how:

As you see, the 4 stretches in this video address the wrist, palm, fingers and thumb – all vital areas with regards to CTS.   This video was made so that you can do the stretches along with me.    I allowed 20 seconds for each stretch, but if you want to go longer, that’s good too.    Just remember, as with any type of stretching, start slowly.   Rushing things and pushing past your limits will only delay recovery and may make the problem worse.     Stretch only to the threshold of discomfort.  Stay here and breathe.  Try to relax the affected area.   And, if you ever have any questions about these stretches, please contact me.  I’m always available to assist anyone using my products or following my stretching programs.   In the unlikely event that you experience a worsening of your symptoms, discontinue immediately.

Along with stretching, correct biomechanics are essential for the health and happiness of the wrist and hand.   As I emphasized in the previous blog, keeping the hand open is essential.   The “big hands” stretch that I demonstrate in this video can  be done anywhere anytime.  For those experiencing carpal tunnel problems, this exercise is a must.  As you go about your daily routine, be aware if your hands are clenched or closed in. One important place to pay attention to this is while sleeping.  I often recommend that patients wedge their open hands under a pillow, or their own bodies, to keep the hands open throughout the night.  Once you retrain your hands to stay open and loose, you’re well on your way to feeling better forever.

A natural follow up to our recent discussion of thumb arthritis and thumb pain is a presentation of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).  Thumb arthritis is closely related to CTS as they both involve the same misalignment in hand positioning detailed in previous blogs.

There are various symptoms of CTS (sometimes knows as Repetitive Motion Injury or RMI) including numbing and tingling in the hands,  lose of hand strength and pain in the hands and wrists.   As these symptoms progress, pain and weakness can become debilitating.    Standard treatment options include wrist guards, hand splints, medications and surgery.    Although alternative treatments are not given much credibility in the modern medical environment, Yoga is one option that the National Institutes of Health endorses as having proven results.  Changing the ergonomic set up for computers is another beneficial adjustment for those who spend a lot of time typing and doing other computer related work.   But, in the long run, the best treatment (and prevention) is simply creating the correct alignment in the palm and wrist as it relates to the central carpal area.     Let me explain. Read the rest of this entry »

In this blog I will present the case study of a woman who came to the clinic with some pretty serious issues, including severe pain in her neck, shoulders and thumbs, chronic headaches and insomnia.  As this is a complicated case, with various factors at play and various issues to be resolved, I will focus my analysis primarily on the thumbs and hands in keeping with our theme of the past few posts.

Claudia started working with BDK in the Summer of 2010.   Her primary concern involved a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome.     According to the National Institutes of Health this is “a rare condition that involves pain in the neck and shoulder, numbness and tingling of the fingers, and a weak grip.”    It is believed to be caused by compression of the blood vessels and nerves as they pass through the narrow space between the clavicle and the upper ribs on their way to the arms.

Claudia was also tested for carpal tunnel syndrome, Read the rest of this entry »

Following last month’s post about arthritis in the thumb, we received numerous requests for techniques to prevent and rehabilitate problems in the thumb, wrist and hand.  So here you go.

This first video details specific stretches that can alleviate pain and discomfort in this area.  These are very simple exercises that anyone can do pretty much anywhere.

As with any type of stretching, start slowly.   Rushing things and pushing past your limits will only delay recovery and may make the problem worse.     Stretch only to the threshold of discomfort.  Stay here and breathe.  Try to relax the affected area.   And, if you ever have any questions about these stretches, please contact me.  I’m always available to assist anyone using my products or following my stretching programs.   In the unlikely event that you experience a worsening of your symptoms, discontinue immediately.

This second clip demonstrates two simple self-massage techniques that can be used in conjunction with stretching for optimal benefits.

In this clip I mention a product called Power Putty which I often recommend to patients with thumb and hand issue.   As I stated in the video, you can use the softest putty to start with.   The exercise it not about building strength, but rather about expanding the space between the bones in your hand.   And similar to the caution I mentioned above, go slowly and gently.  Rushing things and moving beyond your limits will impede your recovery.

In my next blog I’ll present a case study of a woman with serious problems in her hands and thumbs, which had worsened over the years despite various attempts at medical care.   At BDK we were able to  remedy the problem quickly and permanently using the common sense methods described here.

In the meanwhile, if you suffer from pain and/or immobility in your thumbs, make an appointment with us today and start to feel better forever.

Disclaimer:  These exercises are not suggested as a replacement for medical care.  Please consult your physician before beginning this or any new physical exercise.

In my last blog I wrote about a situation with a young boy’s thumb in which the top joint had been immobile for nearly two years following an injury he sustained by jamming the thumb.  In an older person the joint would have been labeled as arthritic due to the calcification and swelling present.  Within a few weeks of massage and manual manipulation of the joint, the arthritic symptoms were gone, along with the pain, and the thumb was well on the way to regaining full range of motion.

While this was a unique case, due to the young age of the patient, the traumatic nature of the injury, and the particular joint affected, arthritis in the thumb is a very common problem.  Arthritis in the basal joint, at the base of the thumb where it meets the wrist, is considered to be second in prevalence only to arthritis in the knee.  Read the rest of this entry »

My son Avery jammed his thumb when he was about 2 years old.

Avery 2.5 years with bent right thumb

I’m embarrassed to admit that it took a while for my wife, Nicole, and I to notice, and then we wondered if he was actually born with a crooked thumb – (photos attest to the fact that he did once have a perfect thumb).    At the time we realized there was a problem the top joint of Avery’s less-than-3-years-old right thumb was completely immobile.   He would not let me work on it at all so I let it be, for a while.  We did consult with a few experts – an orthopedic doctor, a chiropractor, and a pediatrician – who all informed us that we were looking at surgery to correct the problem.  One doc said the tendon would shorten and lose its elasticity and that we would definitely need surgery to remedy that issue as well as those in the joint itself.  In an older person, the problem would have likely been diagnosed as arthritis.   Again, we were dealing with a thumb that was completely immobile. Read the rest of this entry »

The Mayo Clinic states on their webpage for Osteoarthritis that this condition “gradually worsens with time, and no cure exists”.  In their lexicon osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease, which results from the breakdown of the cartilage, which only increases over time.    I began my first blog in this series with the story of a 58-year-old man who had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in his left knee and was, according to his doctor, looking at a total knee replacement as the only way to solve the problem.  At Dorfman Kinesiology, however, we were able to resolve his case quickly and completely through massage, stretching and manual manipulation of the effected joint.    How can this be? Read the rest of this entry »

As a quick diversion from our series on medical misdiagnosis, I just couldn’t help but throw in another basketball blog in honor of the start of the season.   I know I’m a little late in the game already, but I’ve been traveling so much this past month and haven’t had a minute, till now, to dedicate to my favorite subject.

The topic of this week’s blog is plantar fascitis, which has been called the Achilles Heal of the NBA.  Two of the most well known Lakers to have suffered this condition are Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.  Ron Artest played thru this problem in both feet early in 2010.  Tim Duncan of the Spurs and Tyreke Evan of the Sacramento Kings are currently competing on damaged feet, for now, although who knows if and when the situation might progress to the point where they will need to sit out a game or two.  The Celtics Rajon Rando recently received Read the rest of this entry »

With this entry we’re going to begin a series of blogs about my experience as an alternative health care provider within the modern medical system.    Here I will focus on misdiagnosis and treatment errors that I have recently witnessed.   In my last stint at the clinic, in early September, there were 4 new cases that fell into this category.  As we saw a total of 10 new patients in that 9-day period, a full 40% were either misdiagnosed or provided ineffective treatment.  You may think this is a strong claim to make without a medical degree, but I’m assured that my take on the situation is correct because Read the rest of this entry »