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How to Choose a Wrist Brace for Carpal Tunnel

Dr. Z • Mar 09, 2021

How to Choose a Wrist Brace for Carpal Tunnel

(Updated May 19, 2022) Did you know wearing the wrong wrist brace for carpal tunnel syndrome can be harmful? And if you purchased one from a pharmacy like CVS, Walgreens, or Walmart (costing less than $30) then chances are you purchased the wrong wrist brace.


The manufacturers who make these braces usually sell one or two variations of a single brace design. And they claim each brace is appropriate for just about any musculoskeletal condition - including carpal tunnel syndrome.


In fact, those braces usually have packaging that says "for carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, sprains, etc." But this isn't true.... and it can't be true!


Why? Carpal tunnel syndrome is a very different disorder from arthritis or sprains. So it must also be treated very differently.


Simply put, a wrist brace for carpal tunnel syndrome is not the same as a wrist brace for any other condition, like a sprain. That's because treating carpal tunnel syndrome has its own unique issues to consider. These issues are not relevant to sprains, arthritis, etc.


A wrist brace for carpal tunnel is one of the best ways you can treat this disorder. But wearing the correct brace at the proper time is crucial. Not doing so can be harmful, and actually make your symptoms worse.



carpal tunnel syndrome

First, do you have symptoms of carpal tunnel - or something else?

Before you spend money on a brace for carpal tunnel syndrome, make sure you have this condition to begin with. Carpal tunnel syndrome can mimic many other disorders. Chief among them are:



In fact, these other disorders even fool doctors. And it's the main reason carpal tunnel is misdiagnosed over 50% of the time. And that means over 50% of patients have unnecessary carpal tunnel surgery.


Therefore, a proper diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome is key. You an start your diagnosis by using these self-tests. They are the same tests doctors use in their office to determine if you have carpal tunnel syndrome versus another disorder.

finger tingling

The hallmark symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are numbness, pain or tingling ("pins & needles") in your palm or fingers. Other symptoms include burning, itching, feeling of puffiness in the fingers, clumsiness, loss of grip strength, and shooting electric shocks when grasping objects.


In its initial stage, these symptoms usually only appear when your hand is at rest. Its why most patients have to wake up at night to rub out the pain or shake out the numbness.


Night bracing alone is usually effective to reverse symptoms - but only in the initial stage.


As the condition worsens, so the do the symptoms. In the severe stage of carpal tunnel syndrome, pain and numbness are intense. And they are present during the daytime. The loss of grip strength and finger dexterity becomes catastrophic.


Most patients also lose the ability to sense hot or cold at their fingertips. Treatment options are few. Night bracing alone is not sufficient to reverse symptoms at this stage. Additional treatments are required.


Finally, end stage carpal tunnel syndrome is when the condition becomes irreversible. No treatment will help, not even carpal tunnel surgery. The hand becomes relatively useless. It forms a "claw hand" due to loss of nerve input. Virtually all feelings in the fingers are gone. Luckily, pain diminishes (because the nerve has died). But numbness is still crushing and punishing.

wrist braces

Which brace to wear, and when

Remember these 3 rules for wearing a wrist brace for carpal tunnel syndrome:


  1. Only wear a certified carpal tunnel wrist brace
  2. Wear that certified wrist brace only at night
  3. Never wear any brace during the daytime


Only a certified wrist brace for carpal tunnel will help your condition. Such braces are not sold in retail drug stores like CVS, Walgreens or Walmart. You can only obtained them from the manufacturer or from approved re-sellers (see below for the list).


Also, all wrist braces for carpal tunnel syndrome should only be worn at night, as you sleep. Never wear them (or any brace) during the daytime. Why?


Stressed tendons cause inflammation and swelling inside your wrist joint. This is what exerts fluid pressure on your median nerve, causing carpal tunnel symptoms.


But if you wear a brace while your hand is working, your hand fights the constraint of the brace while also trying to perform its job. This extra work causes even more stress on your tendons. So when it comes to having carpal tunnel syndrome, it's better to allow your wrist to move freely, even though it may hurt.

bad wrist brace for carpal tunnel

Only a certified wrist brace for carpal tunnel will help

Why a certified wrist brace is important

A certified wrist brace for carpal tunnel syndrome is designed to treat this condition only. It is not designed for treating arthritis, sprains, bursitis, fractures, etc.


The key design feature of a certified wrist brace for carpal tunnel is that is keeps the hand immobile without a palmar spine. This is the metal spine on the palm side of the brace. If your brace has a palmar spine, then it's not a certified wrist brace for carpal tunnel syndrome.


Why is that important? Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs because of pressure on your median nerve deep inside your wrist joint. Any added pressure on the nerve causes worse symptoms.


A palmar spine on the palm surface of the wrist joint pushes into this soft area of the wrist. This is especially amplified when you bend you hand backward unconsciously while you sleep.


A spine in this soft area will push into the joint, increasing pressure on the median nerve. The pressure further damages the median nerve, making symptoms much worse.

night brace

Features of a certified brace

The main features of a certified wrist brace for carpal tunnel are as follows:


  1. The spine on the brace is not located on the palmar surface.
  2. The brace maintains your hand in a neutral (straight) position. 
  3. Wearing the brace should be comfortable because you must sleep with it.
  4. The brace should not be tight; this will restrict fluid drainage and blood circulation.
  5. Make sure the wrist brace is easily put on and removed; Velcro straps are the most useful.
  6. Confirm the brace is washable. 
  7. The brace's fabric should be breathable.

Worst wrist braces for carpal tunnel syndrome

Avoid these popular braces if you have carpal tunnel syndrome. They lack most of the features of a certified wrist brace for carpal tunnel -- and can actually make your symptoms worse.

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

Certified wrist braces for carpal tunnel syndrome

The following are the best braces available. Each is a certified wrist brace for carpal tunnel syndrome. They all have equivalent features which are necessary for healing carpal tunnel syndrome.


They're listed by price (high to low). Prices are valid at the time of this article's publication.


Disclosure: Dr. Z authored this article and also invented the CarpalRx Night Brace below.

AliMed Dorsal Resting Splint

AliMed Dorsal Resting Splint

$138.00

website

BSOS dorsal splint

BSOS Dorsal Splint

$99.99

website

Comfy Dorsal Hand Orthosis

Comfy Dorsal Hand Orthosis

$97.75

website

LEEDer Dorsal Orthosis

LEEDer Dorsal Orthosis

$84.99

website

CarpalRx Night Brace

CarpalRx Night Brace

$49.95

website

RCIA Dorsal Splint

RCIA Dorsal Splint

$48.00

website

Conclusion

Purchasing a certified wrist brace for carpal tunnel is a great first step toward attacking the problem. And wearing a wrist brace while you sleep will help most mild or moderate cases of carpal tunnel syndrome.


Be sure to avoid the temptation of cheap and convenient drug store braces. Even thought they're labelled "for carpal tunnel syndrome" they actually are not. Wearing them can do more harm inside your wrist joint and make your symptoms much worse.


More severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome will require more aggressive therapy in addition to night bracing. These therapies include stretching exercises and myofascial release massage.

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