Health Alert: Laser Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

By KYW NewsRadio - PHILADELPHIA - Oct. 16, 2002 - Medical Specialist Stephanie Stahl reports there is a new alternative for those who suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Repetitive hand movement causes tendons in the hand and wrist to swell, pressing on a nerve. That pressure causes pain, numbness, and tingling, resulting in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - a condition that has become the leading cause of disability in this country.

"You're constantly saying 'what's the matter with my hands?' You're shaking them, you're rubbing them - just doing anything and everything you can to keep them awake," explains local sufferer Kathy Kish.

Kish says that is how she felt until she underwent high-tech treatment with the ML830TM Laser. Dr. Mark Brown, a chiropractor, explains how it works: "It just sends bursts of laser light into the tissue and on a cellular level they respond like a bud that would open up to a flower - just speeds up the healing process."

Brown says the laser is unlike other lasers because it doesn't burn the skin, and claims the treatment "works very, very well" yielding "fantastic results."

Kish agrees, telling Stahl the treatment enabled her to sleep through the night for the first time in years allowing her to resume her active lifestyle. "I'm pain-free and I'm not having any numbness at this point," she declared.

The treatment can cost up to $4,000, but is usually covered by insurance. Swelling is said to be significantly decreased and pain eliminated within 15 to 20 treatments.

Traditional treatment entailed the use of anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections or surgery - methods that aren't always successful.

Stahl reports the ML 830TM Laser is FDA approved for the treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, but is now being tested on the swelling that causes back pain and arthritis. 

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