Carpal Tunnel: Why Your Wrist Is Talking… and What It’s Trying to Say

Written By Dr. Sean McHugh

Carpal tunnel doesn’t show up overnight. It builds slowly, almost quietly, until one day you realize your hand is numb on the steering wheel… or you’re waking up at 3 AM shaking your wrist like it owes you money.

Most people think carpal tunnel is just an overuse issue. In reality, it’s a communication problem. The median nerve is trying to send clean signals through a very narrow space in your wrist, and inflammation is clogging up that channel. When communication breaks down, symptoms take over: tingling, burning, weakness, grip loss, forearm tightness, even shoulder or neck discomfort that seems unrelated but isn’t.

As a chiropractor focused on the whole body — physical, neurological, and structural — I see carpal tunnel not as an isolated wrist problem but as part of a larger chain. The wrist is often the messenger, not the origin.

Poor shoulder mechanics, forward head posture, neck alignment issues, and chronic inflammation can all stack the deck against your median nerve. If you only treat the wrist, you get temporary relief. If you restore proper communication throughout the system, you get long-term change.

Why SoftWave Works So Well for Carpal Tunnel

SoftWave isn’t a “let’s mask the pain for a few days” kind of therapy. It uses sound waves to stimulate real tissue repair — increased blood flow, reduced inflammation, and activation of your body’s own healing cells.

For carpal tunnel, that means:

  • Less swelling in the wrist

  • Improved nerve conduction

  • Better mobility

  • Reduced pain and numbness

  • Faster recovery without injections or surgery

I use SoftWave because it aligns with what I care about most: restoring the body’s ability to heal itself. It’s not passive, and it’s not superficial. It changes the environment the nerve is living in so the symptoms finally have a chance to resolve.

When to Take It Seriously

If you’re noticing:

  • Numbness in the thumb, index, or middle finger

  • Tingling that gets worse at night

  • Wrist pain that creeps up the forearm

  • Grip weakness or dropping objects

  • Pain when typing, gripping, or driving

Your body is giving you a very clear message: something’s not functioning the way it should. Early intervention makes all the difference — especially if you want to avoid surgery.

You Don’t Have to Live With It

Carpal tunnel is frustrating, but it’s also highly treatable when you address the why behind the symptoms. If your wrist has been “talking” for a while, it may be time to listen and take action.

Ready to see if SoftWave can help?

Click here to learn more and schedule your first session: /softwave

Your body wants to heal. Sometimes it just needs the right signal.

Dr. Sean McHugh