Carpal Tunnel Treatment in Greenville, SC
Carpal Tunnel Treatment in Greenville, SC. Root-cause acupuncture + functional medicine. Dr. Hendry, DAOM, NCBAHM-certified. Call (864) 365-6156.
"Excellent. I was a skeptic and informed Dr. Hendry of such. I have a broken neck from a racing accident over 40 plus years ago. The results have been remarkable and I am a believer in acupuncture."
— Michael F. McLeod · April 2015 · Google Review
Wrist splinting addresses the positional component of carpal tunnel. What it doesn't address is the forearm flexor tension that's transmitting compressive load into the tunnel. I needle the pronator teres and flexor digitorum superficialis — muscles that are almost always involved in carpal tunnel presentations but rarely treated — alongside the local wrist points. A 2017 Frontiers in Neurology trial showed acupuncture producing neuroplastic changes in the somatosensory cortex corresponding to symptom improvement. That's nerve function improvement, measurable on fMRI, not just pain reduction.
How Carpal Tunnel Treatment Works
CTS treatment uses acupuncture at local wrist points (PC7, HT7, LU8) combined with forearm flexor dry needling (pronator teres, flexor carpi radialis) and proximal nerve release techniques at the cervical spine and thoracic outlet if double-crush syndrome is suspected. Electroacupuncture at 2 Hz supports nerve regeneration and remyelination.
Conditions Treated with Carpal Tunnel Treatment
Forearm Needling and Nerve Decompression vs. Carpal Tunnel Surgery for Mild-to-Moderate CTS
Carpal tunnel release surgery is highly effective for severe carpal tunnel syndrome with documented denervation on electromyography, and it provides definitive decompression of the median nerve. For mild to moderate cases without denervation, the surgical risk-benefit calculation is less clear. Post-surgical complications including pillar pain, scar tenderness, and incomplete release are not uncommon, and a subset of patients experience persistent or worsening symptoms after surgery. Surgery releases the transverse carpal ligament but does not address the forearm flexor myofascial dysfunction that increases carpal tunnel pressure, the tenosynovial inflammation driven by repetitive use, or any proximal nerve entrapment contributing to the double crush phenomenon. Fernandez-Carnero et al. (Clin J Pain, 2007) documented that forearm myofascial trigger points are primary contributors to wrist and hand neuropathic symptoms, representing a treatable root cause. Our conservative protocol for mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome deactivates the forearm flexor trigger points, reduces tenosynovial inflammation through acupuncture, and addresses any ergonomic and postural factors driving the compression. Patients who fail six to eight weeks of structured conservative care are referred for surgical evaluation with the mechanical contributors optimally addressed.
Research & Evidence
Carpal tunnel syndrome involves compression of the median nerve at the wrist within the carpal tunnel, producing sensory symptoms of numbness, tingling, and burning in the radial three and a half digits, and motor weakness of the thenar eminence in advanced cases. The compression is sustained by a combination of anatomical factors, tenosynovial inflammation within the tunnel, and myofascial dysfunction in the forearm flexors that increases the resting tension transmitted to the carpal tunnel. Fernandez-Carnero J et al. (Clin J Pain, 2007) demonstrated the high prevalence of active myofascial trigger points in the forearm flexors of patients with lateral epicondylalgia, a comparable entrapment neuropathy model, documenting that forearm myofascial dysfunction is a primary contributor to wrist-region neurological symptoms. Dry needling of the flexor digitorum superficialis and pronator teres reduces the resting tension transmitted to the carpal tunnel. Acupuncture at pericardium and large intestine meridian points reduces neurogenic inflammation around the median nerve and promotes axonal repair through nerve growth factor stimulation.
Your First Appointment
Bring any nerve conduction study (NCS) or EMG results. Describe symptom distribution (which fingers are affected), when symptoms are worst (typically at night or with sustained wrist positions), and duration. Thyroid status, pregnancy, and diabetes — common CTS risk factors — are relevant to Dr. Hendry's assessment.
Why Dr. Hendry for Carpal Tunnel Treatment
Dr. Hendry's electroacupuncture research background directly informs his CTS protocols, with specific frequency selection for median nerve regeneration and pain modulation.