For Immediate Release
June 1, 2004
Contact: Beth Reiprich
732-751-7519

RELIEF FOR CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME AT JERSEY SHORE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

Neptune, NJ - Barbara Phillips, 56, of Avon, would often wake in the night to excruciating pain and a tingling sensation in her hands – she could find no relief.

After a couple of weeks of the same symptoms, Phillips saw neurologist, Paul Silbert, M.D., chief of Neurology at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. After being tested Phillips discovered that she suffered from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), the most common of Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI), occurs when repetitive movements of the wrist and hand cause inflammation and swelling of tendons that pass through a narrow tunnel called the carpal tunnel within the wrist. As a result, the median nerve, which also passes through the carpal tunnel, is compressed or squeezed, thereby causing a potentially disabling injury.

Symptoms of CTS include pain, tenderness, tingling and numbness in the wrist, hand, and fingers, and shooting pain in the arm and shoulder. If left untreated, CTS symptoms can become so severe that a person can no longer perform simple tasks such as opening a jar or grasping objects.

Dr. Silbert tested Phillips and they both decided a newer, non-surgical procedure, Microlight ML 830 Laser Treatment, would be the right treatment for Phillips. “I’m not crazy about surgery and felt the ML Laser Treatment was the right treatment for me,” says Phillips. “And, I’m glad I did.”

The ML 830 Laser Treatment is non-surgical, painless, and does not damage tissue.

“The ML 830 is a non-thermal (cold) laser light capable of painlessly penetrating deep in tissues without damaging skin, tendons, or nerves. This is in contrast to traditional thermal (hot) laser light which can penetrate but often destroys tissues,” says Dr. Silbert. “In theory, the ML 830 Laser light promotes photobiostimulation, a reaction which expedites cell repair and stimulates the immune, lymphatic and vascular systems. And, patients also benefit from reductions in pain, inflammation, and edema, and an overall reduction in healing time for patients with mild to moderate CTS and other RSI.”

In addition to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, other common disorders for which the ML 830 Laser may prove to provide non-surgical therapeutic relief including tendonitis, tennis elbow, Raynaud’s syndrome, and Thoracic outlet syndrome.

Phillips says she was so glad she had an option for her treatment. The option of surgery was not something she wanted to think about – she wanted to avoid it if at all possible. In addition to the laser treatments, Phillips also wore a brace at night when she slept.

“It’s been two years since my treatments and I feel 100 percent better,” says Phillips. “I’d definitely recommend this to those who qualify for it and those who wish to avoid surgery. I can actually enjoy life again and participate in activities without having the fear of pain.”

About Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Jersey Shore University Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health family, is a non-profit university teaching hospital affiliate of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Home to one of the top cardiac surgery programs in the State, Jersey Shore’s comprehensive cardiac care programs include cardiology, cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology, cardiac diagnostics, and cardiac rehabilitation services and programs. Meridian Health, which includes Jersey Shore, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, and Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, was the first health system in the nation to receive the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for its entire nursing staff. For more information on Jersey Shore’s advanced cardiac care, please call the Meridian Health Line at 1-800-560-9990 or visit www.meridianhealth.com.

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