What's the best carpal tunnel brace you can get? Ask any carpal tunnel doctor and chances are each will have a different opinion. 

There at least 220 companies worldwide selling wrist braces. Each one manufactures or sells 5-10 models of braces. A good proportion of them are labeled “for carpal tunnel syndrome”. And the price range is from $10 to $700. So how can you tell which is the best carpal tunnel brace without going broke?



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It’s important to realize that there are no FDA standards which regulate the design of wrist braces. In other words, any manufacturer can create a brace and say it’s “for carpal tunnel syndrome" (or any other disorder).

Some even go so far as to claim it’s the best carpal tunnel brace you can buy - without a second thought about what carpal tunnel syndrome really is or how to treat it. That's why the vast majority of such braces actually cause more harm if you already have carpal tunnel syndrome.

(Hint: Do you wear a night brace but it causes even worse symptoms in the morning? Then you're wearing one of these harmful braces.)

On the flip-side, there currently are only 9 companies (see below) which manufacture "certified carpal tunnel braces". Essentially, doctors designed them to maximize the benefit of wearing a brace without causing harm.

 Want to know how severe your carpal tunnel really is?

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All carpal tunnel braces simply help you avoid over-bending your hand to cause pain. However, they will not cure the problem you’re actually wearing the brace for.

That problem is carpal tunnel syndrome, and there's no cure for it whatsoever. Even surgery is not a cure for it. You can only manage the symptoms so they don't bother you anymore.

The best carpal tunnel brace manufacturers understand this problem well. Therefore, they build into their braces some key features needed to help heal this terrible hand problem. Those are the certified carpal tunnel braces you should look for.

Above all, the best carpal tunnel brace will NOT have a permanent spine or “stay” on the palm side of the hand (or palmar side). This is called a palmar spine.

If the brace has a palmar spine, then it's NOT a certified carpal tunnel brace.

Keeping the palmar spine away from this area is crucial with carpal tunnel syndrome. That's because the spine presses on the wrist, causing pressure inside the joint. 

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a disease caused by pressure inside the wrist joint. So if you’re wearing a brace that contains a spine over the palm area, then every time you bend your wrist the spine will push into the wrist joint. Such pushing increases the pressure underneath, deep inside the wrist joint. And that’s very bad if you have carpal tunnel syndrome.

I'm a Physiologist, Biomedical Engineer, medical device inventor, and brace designer. I know about braces.

And I always tell my patients, “If a brace has a permanent spine on the palm side, then it’s NOT a certified carpal tunnel brace.”

Instead, the best carpal tunnel brace will have its spine located on the top or on the side of the hand. A hand brace with this design prevents the spine from pushing onto your carpal tunnel space. That would be bad for a wrist joint that’s in trouble already. 

Several years ago I invented a carpal tunnel brace with all this in mind. In fact, it was recognized by the Southern Orthopedic Association as the "best carpal tunnel brace available today". There are even scientific articles written about it. This brace is unique because it has movable spines so you can avoid adding pressure on your palmar surface.

Above all, the best carpal tunnel brace will NOT have a permanent palmar spine. Other major things to look for in a carpal tunnel brace are the following:

• A brace that fully encloses the hand, wrist and forearm. This reduces excess bending pressures on the wrist joint.
  
  
• The best carpal tunnel brace is breathable AND washable. Only a few fabrics have these two crucial features. 
  
  
• The entire brace tightens with Velcro straps; and the more straps the better. Buckles will cause fumbling with your opposite hand (which also likely has problems). 
  
  
• Lastly, it’s best if the straps are also movable so you can adjust them for comfort.

Consequently, be wary of braces and their claims. Braces are a product field where “expensive” does not mean “good”. 

Therefore, you don't need to go broke buying the best carpal tunnel brace available. I've listed the 9 major brace manufacturers here. Full disclosure, Carpal Pain Solutions (my affiliation) is one of them.

You won't go wrong with any of the following certified carpal tunnel braces:

1. Carpal Pain Solutions CarpalRx Night Brace
2. Sammons Preston Rolyan Dorsal Resting Hand Orthosis
3. RCAI Dorsal Carpal Tunnel Splint
4. Allegro Medical Dorsal Resting Splint
5. Comfy Splints Dorsal Hand Orthosis
6. AliMed Dorsal Resting Splint
7. Advanced Dorsal Resting Splint
8. LEEDer Dorsal Orthosis
9. Bort Soft CTS Splint

(In spite of their claims, they're NOT made for carpal tunnel syndrome.)

You should be cautious when considering buying a carpal tunnel brace. Certainly, be careful buying online or in one of the many retail outlets like CVS, Walgreens or Walmart. 

In fact, generally stay clear of braces sold on “brace sites” and medical product sites. They are usually expensive and you get nothing in return. Actually, you’ll notice how similar they all are. Moreover, all of them have a palmar spine!

Furthermore, look out for the relatively expensive braces below. They claim to be the “best” carpal tunnel brace you can buy. But now you know better!

They all fall far short of having the features you require, as I've discussed above. In other words, they're not certified carpal tunnel braces. 

So if you have carpal tunnel syndrome, stay away from:

• DonJoy CXT & SXT Functional Wrist Brace
• Bauerfeind ManuTrain Wrist Brace
• Bauerfeind ManuLoc Wrist Brace
• FLA ProLite Wrist Splint with Abducted Thumb
• ProCare IMAK Pil-O-Wrist Splint
• Bio Skin DP3 Cock-Up Wrist Brace
• DonJoy Neoprene Wrist Wrap
• Bio Skin DP2 Cock-Up Wrist Brace
• DonJoy Contoured Wrist/Forearm Splint
• Hely and Weber Tiny Titan Thumb Wrist Brace
• ProCare Loop-Lock Cock-Up Splint
• Hely and Weber Titan Thumb Wrist Brace
• Medtherapies Lace-Up Wrist Brace
• FLA Uni-Fit Wrist Splint
• ProCare Foam Wrist Splint
• Don Joy Universal Wrist/Forearm Splint
• ProCare Quick-Fit W.T.O. Wrist/Thumb
• ProCare Cock-Up Wrist Splint
• AirCast A2 Wrist Stabilizing Brace
• Ossur Exoform Wrist Brace
• Bledsoe Wrist Lacer Wrist Brace
• Bledsoe Universal Wrist Lacer
  

Of the hundreds of braces you can buy, only very few are certified carpal tunnel braces. Unlike generic braces with a metal spine over your palm, the best carpal tunnel brace you can get will avoid putting added pressure on your wrist joint. It will also have other important features that make it superior to generic braces. Remember, just because the package says “carpal tunnel brace” doesn’t mean it’s made specifically for carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact, it can actually harm you.