Avenue Acupuncture FAQs

A session includes points both close to the painful area on the wrist and distal points elsewhere on the body. For mild to moderate cases, a typical course is about four weeks with two sessions per week, and studies have found acupuncture as effective as short-term low-dose steroid treatment for symptom relief.

Mild cases may be treated with stretching, rest, and a splint or brace, along with anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids. For more severe cases lasting six months or longer, surgery is recommended to relieve pressure on the nerve and tendons.

It is caused by consistent pressure on the median nerve and tendons running through the palm side of the hand, often from repetitive motions that cause tendons to swell, or from being born with a naturally smaller carpal tunnel. It can also be worsened by arthritis, diabetes, and obesity.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a narrowing of the carpal tunnel in the wrist causing numbness, tingling, burning, itching, or pain in the thumb, index and middle fingers, and half of the ring finger. Symptoms often start gradually at night and, if left untreated, can progress to daytime symptoms and loss of hand strength.