The Carpal Tunnel Helpbook: Self-Healing Alternatives for Carpal Tunnel and Other Repetitive Strain Injuries

122 Pages·2001·11.65 MB·English

by  Scott Fried

The Carpal Tunnel Helpbook
Other books by Scott ML Fried
Light at the End of the Carpal Tunnel:
A Guide to Understanding and Relief
from the Pain of Nerve Problems
The
CARPAL
TUNNEL
Helpbook
Self-Healing Alternatives
for Carpal Tunnel and
Other Repetitive Strain Injuries
Dr. Scott M Fried
DA CAPO PRESS
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
Although the authors, editors, and publishers have made every effort to ensure the ac-
curacy and completeness of information contained in this book, it is difficult to ensure
that all of the information is accurate, and the possibility of error can never be entirely
eliminated. The authors, editors, and publishers disclaim any liability or responsibility
for injury or damage to persona or property that is incurred as a consequence, directly
or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book as well as for
any unintentional slights to any person or entity.
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ucts are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and
Perseus Publishing was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been
printed in initial capital letters.
Copyright. © 2001 by Scott Fried, D.O.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-
copying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 0-7382-0455-2
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Text design byJane Raese
Set in 10 point Walbaum Book
Illustrations by Joanna Libonati of Ascension Design and Miguel Pirela-Cruz, M.D.
First printing
109876543
This book is dedicated to my wife, Laura,
without whom the Upper Extremity Institute and I,
as the physician I am, would not exist.
As a nurse, mother, and loving wife she has taught me qualities
that no school of medicine or book could ever teach. The need to
be caring, loving, understanding, and compassionate while also
being firm and pure of task are what Laura has brought to me.
She is truly the selfless heart of our success, where she takes
little credit yet deserves much,
To you, Laura,
my best friend, wife, and love of my life,
I dedicate this book.
It is for you and our patients.
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
1, Nerve Problems in the Neck, Shoulders, Arms, and Hands i
2. The Anatomy of Nerve Injury 17
3. Treatment Modalities and How to Use Them 23
4. A Nerve Sliding Program 39
5. Soft Tissue Stretching 55
6. Posture Do's and Don'ts 59
7. Creating a Comfortable Workplace 65
8. Effective Splints and How to Use Them 77
9. Meditation, Biofeedback, Yoga, and Tai Chi 85
10. A Home-Based Exercise and Healing Program 87
11. How to Set Up Your Own. Home Therapy Center 91
12. A Final Thought 95
Appendix: Resources/or Home Therapy Centers 99
Bibliography and Suggested Reading 101
Index 105
vii
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my friend and former chief of therapy at the Up-
per Extremity Institute, Valerie Romano, for her help in the initial
writing and layout of this book. She took my early concepts and our
program and put it into a basic document that became a template for
this work. I didn't anticipate that her early efforts would lead to the
countless hours I would spend building upon the work she did for
me.
To my patients, whom I continue to praise as my greatest teachers:
Thank you for motivating and showing me that our methods do in-
deed work. You have helped me to create a program that can heal
people and help many avoid surgery.
To my clinical staff at the Upper Extremity Institute, thank you for
your input and help in reviewing and contributing to the thoughts
and ideas in this book. To my secretarial staff, thanks for making the
words appear, sending faxes and e-mails, and putting up with the
schedule changes and the stresses associated with various stages of
the publishing process.
To my brother and best friend, Dr. Richard Fried, and Drs. Maureen
Schreiber and Karen Sox, thanks for teaching me about biofeedback
and the power of the human mind to overcome nerve disease and
pain. Also, thank you for your help in developing one of the first
biofeedback programs in the country dedicated to the treatment of
nerve pain and injury.
A special thanks to Dr. James Hunter, who years ago conceived the
fact that physical and occupational therapy can be the best way to
treat nerve disease and that patient education is the key to a happy
patient and outcome. His vision and the basic premise for the motion
and stretching process presented in this book have been my guiding
principles. Thanks also to Lee Osterman and Bill Bora, who gave me
my first exposure to hand surgery and continue to be my teachers
and friends.
ix