Carpal Tunnel Syndrome often has a “hidden” cause. There are muscles in your neck that are called the scalenes. There is a set on each side of your neck–left and right. These muscles are commonly overlooked as a cause of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
In fact, when conventional or alternative treatments for CTS don’t relieve your symptoms, the scalenes are usually the cause!
You can listen to a featured episode at Carpal Tunnel Radio called “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome–Is It All In Your Head? Or Your Neck?” It is about these muscles and, if your doctor thinks it’s “all in your head”…it’s not!
And, there’s an article here about “The Muscle In Your Neck That Causes “Knots” and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.” I go into detail about how to self-treat these muscles in The Scalene Report. Click on the link to learn more.
In “Myofascial Pain & Dysfunction The Trigger Point Manual,” Drs. Travell MD and Simons MD talk extensively about the role of the scalene muscles in carpal tunnel and similar symptoms. In order to determine whether the scalenes are causing your symptoms, they suggest the “Scalene-relief Test.”
I like this test because, unlike many tests to diagnose problems, it doesn’t make the symptom worse in order to get a positive result.
If the muscles at the front of your neck, between your neck and collar bone, feel tight when you try to press your fingers down into the area behind your collar bone, that may be a clue that the scalenes are involved in your symptoms.
If you have short upper arms or limited movement in your shoulder, you may not be able to do the test. You can still release your scalene muscles, however.
Here’s the test:
1. Put the backside of your painful lower arm across your forehead. Your elbow will be bent and out to the side. Your palm will be facing away from you, thumb down.
2. Lift, or raise, your arm and pull your shoulder forward to lift your collar bone off and away from the muscles and nerves that are behind it. Slide your hand in the direction your fingers are pointing. If you put the fingers
from your other hand behind the collar bone on the side of the arm you are lifting and moving forward, you will feel more space there now.
If pain relief is going to occur, it will happen right away or within a few minutes.
If your pain goes away, what does that mean?
It means your scalene muscles are causing your carpal tunnel symptoms. They are causing pressure on the nerves that come from your neck to your arm.
What can you do now?
1. (There was a video here that’s no longer available. You may be able to find one on YouTube though for how to release your scalene muscles.)
2. A very helpful, easy-to-use book by Claire Davies is the “Trigger Point Book.” You can get your own copy and it has directions and pictures for releasing the scalenes and many other muscles yourself. This is not the expensive Trigger Point Manuals that I use but it’s a great self-help book.
What if the Scalene-relief Test didn’t relieve your carpal tunnel symptoms?
In that case, the scalene muscles are probably not involved.
It may be that your symptoms are caused by cervical radiculopathy (pressure on the nerves by the bones of the neck.) It is also possible that other trigger points and muscles are causing your symptoms and this is where I’d look next.
Muscles can actually move the bones of the neck and sometimes that will cause pressure on a nerve.
Other times, the bones might develop spurs which may press on nerves. (Why do bones get spurs? From muscles pulling on them.)
The easiest and least invasive things to try first are those that involve correcting posture or treatment or massage for the muscles.
Go to “Categories” and click on “Massage for Carpal Tunnel.” There are lots of articles about self-massage and professional massage and how to find a massage therapist who can help you get rid of your carpal tunnel symptoms naturally.
The scalene muscles are also responsible for muscle “knots” in your upper back so The Scalene Report is included in the program Knots In Your Back Gone! If you also have miserable muscle knots in your upper back, this could be a good investment for you.