Carpal Tunnel Wrist Brace – Good for you vs Harmful?

I’m often asked about the value of using carpal tunnel wrist braces, night splints, and other support devices that relieve carpal tunnel pain. My feelings are mixed, honestly. I see a lot of patients who’ve been prescribed to use a carpal tunnel wrist brace to alleviate their pain; they’re fitted by occupational therapists who typically design the brace so that your hand is immobilized. This reduces inflammation, which in turn reduces pain – which in itself is good, but when I hear the word “immobilize,” I feel uneasy. Any time a joint or muscle is immobilized, it begins to lose function.

Reducing movement of the afflicted area might reduce pain, but it’s important to remember that it’s not a cure for your carpal tunnel symptoms. Using a wrist brace or night splint to rest the joints and muscles in question can indeed be helpful, but our bodies require movement and motion to properly function. Ultimately, using a brace for your carpal tunnel isn’t a cure, it’s a band aid. Real solutions will only be reached by working on postural muscle imbalance and discovering and eliminating the causes of your body’s imbalance in the first place.

What is postural muscle imbalance? This is a condition that occurs when your body is placed under the same poor habitual positions day in and day out, for example sitting in the car for a few hours per day, sitting in front of a computer all day, standing all day etc. Certain muscles get developed more than others, certain muscles get real lazy and lose their function. They stop maintaining your normal spinal S-curve and peripheral joints (shoulders, elbows and wrists). What will occur over time the dreaded symptoms of carpal tunnel.

If this vicious cycle isn’t broken, the damage will increase. If you end up losing the use of your hand for a few months or more due to carpal tunnel pain, it could affect your ability to provide for yourself and your family. Other symptoms that can accompany carpal tunnel pain include “frozen shoulder,” lower back pain, and headaches, and all of these have the same cause: Postural muscle imbalance.

“Hold it Tom – are you trying to scare me?” Well, sort of, because this is your health and future we are talking about. You need to stop this cycle, and the earlier the better. To do this you need to follow simple postural muscle balance restoration exercises.

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