Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a medical condition in which the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to paresthesias, numbness and muscle weakness in the hand. Most cases of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are without known cause.
At Master Kiiko Matsumoto's Newton clinic, there is this one interesting case which is being shared with you in the following.
A thirty-something software engineer Kirk came to the clinic for his bilateral neck tension headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and occasional lower back pain.
Upon palpation, Kirk's erector spinae muscle group of the mid-back was tight on the right sid e of the spine and his left trapezius and levator scapulae muscle was tighter than his right. The area under the iliac spine, at the gluteus muscle on both sides, was sensitive to touch. He also exhibited oketsu and adrenal signs. His immune reflex area on the lower right of his abdomen also showed palpation pain. His pulse was moving and relatively strong on all positions.
Master Kiiko Matsumoto treated him with the oketsu, immune and adrenal acupuncture treatments. This means needling: (1) on top of his left ankle along the liver channel, (2) on his left arm along the large intestine channel, and (3) Master Nagano's immune points. Then his back was examined and needled along his spine, and then a four-corner treatment was applied. This latter acupuncture treatment applied needles at four corners of Kirk's back: in the middle of his shoulder blades on Tian-Zhong (SI11) and on the surrounding points of his sacrals on both sides.
When Kirk first appeared at the clinic, his right shoulder appear to be lower than the left. This appearance could not be changed after a set of ten treatments. However, the height of his scapulae returned to normal after six sessions. After the seventh session, the tightness in the neck and lower back disappeared. After ten sessions, the carpal tunnel syndrome pain also disappeared. Throughout the acupuncture treatments Kirk continued to work on his computer keyboard.
As Kiiko senseipoints out, it is important to note that the treatment for the carpal tunnel syndrome after the sixth session consisted mainly of releasing the neck muscles (i.e. scalenus and SCM muscles). The four corner and the sacroiliac treatments, as the structure imbalance compoent in this treatment protocol, helped to maintain the effect of the release of the neck. By treating the asymmetric tension of the muscles between the scapulae and the contracted muscles of the lower back (which were contributing to the pulling on the occipital region) , the anterior and lateral neck muscles could be easily released, and the effect lasted much longer.
Please find the details of this case study in the book, "Kiiko Matsumoto's clinical Strategies", Volume I, by Kiiko Matsumoto and David Euler, on page 194.