VITAMIN B6 MAY BE LINKED TO CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME.Byline: Jacqueline Stenson Medical Tribune News Service Carpal tunnel syndrome carpal tunnel syndrome: see repetitive stress injury. carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) Painful condition caused by repetitive stress to the wrist over time. , a painful wrist condition suffered by 2 million Americans, may be affected by vitamin B vitamin B n. 1. Vitamin B complex. 2. A member of the vitamin B complex, especially thiamine. vitamin B, vitamin B complex a group of water-soluble substances described separately. 6, says a California researcher. The condition results primarily from overuse overuse Health care The common use of a particular intervention even when the benefits of the intervention don't justify the potential harm or cost–eg, prescribing antibiotics for a probable viral URI. Cf Misuse, Underuse. and misuse of computers and robotics in the workplace, such as typing or certain assembly-line duties, and is one of a number of repetitive stress injuries affecting U.S. workers. The rate of these work-related repetitive stress injuries jumped 10 percent in one year alone, between 1993 and 1994, according to recent statistics gathered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor. The reason for the possible vitamin link is that B6, also known as pyridoxine pyridoxine: see coenzyme; vitamin. , is involved in the neurotransmission of messages from nerves to muscles, said Dr. Ibrahim Farid, senior medical director of the U.S. Postal Service The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) processes and delivers mail to individuals and businesses within the United States. The service seeks to improve its performance through the development of efficient mail-handling systems and operates its own planning and engineering programs. , Pacific Area, in San Bruno. Carpal tunnel syndrome is widely believed to be caused by pressure on the median nerve median nerve n. A nerve that is formed by the union of the medial and lateral roots from the medial and lateral cords of the brachial plexus and supplies the muscular branches in the anterior region of the forearm and the muscular and cutaneous , which runs the length of the arm. At the wrist this nerve passes into what is called the carpal tunnel - between two bones and under a ligament on the underside of the wrist. The syndrome is characterized by pain in the wrist and hand, which also can radiate up the arm. The condition usually is treated with rest, wearing a wrist brace and splint splint, rigid or semiflexible device for the immobilization of displaced or fractured parts of the body. Most commonly employed for fractures of bones, a splint may be a first-aid measure that allows the patient to be moved without displacing the injured part, or it , and medication to relieve the pain. Surgery is generally a last resort. While other research has concluded that B6 is not involved in carpal tunnel syndrome, those studies have been flawed, Farid said this past week at the American Occupational Health Conference in San Antonio. It's unlikely that pyridoxine deficiency is the primary cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, but evidence suggests that it should not be dismissed as a factor in the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder, Farid said. But Dr. Rebecca Rotenberg, president of Creative Learning Technologies, a Los Angeles-based health-care consulting company, disagreed. ``I think if B6 were going to pan out, it would have panned out already. Fundamentally, carpal tunnel is a compression problem'' that causes nerve damage, Rotenberg said. This damage is much more important as a cause of this disorder than any vitamin deficiency, she added. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion