Patent ID: 6953440

Claim:
An apparatus for treating carpal tunnel syndrome in a person's hand, the hand having a longitudinal axis, a palmar aspect with thenar and hypothenar regions, and a dorsal region opposed to the palmar aspect, the apparatus comprising: a housing having an internal hollow region, an internal central top portion having a first ventral longitudinal section, an internal bottom portion having a second longitudinal section and a parallel third longitudinal section, and an open end portion for receiving the hand into said internal region such that the hypothenar region of the hand is substantially aligned with said second section, and the thenar region of the hand is substantially aligned with said third section; contact means, disposed longitudinally along said first central longitudinal section, for contacting a central longitudinal portion of the dorsal region of the hand; first pressure means, disposed along said second section so as to contact the hypothenar region of the hand when the hand is inserted into said housing, for selectively applying pressure of a first predetermined magnitude to the hypothenar region of the hand; second pressure means, disposed along said third section so as to contact the thenar region of the hand when the hand is inserted into said housing, for selectively applying pressure of a second predetermined magnitude to the thenar region of the hand; and a control unit, connected to said first and said second pressure means, operable to: activate said first pressure means to apply a first upward force to the hypothenar region of the hand, and activate said second pressure means to apply a second upward force to the thenar region of the hand, wherein said first and said second upward forces are opposed by a downward force exerted by said contact means on the central dorsal region of the hand, such that said downward force is balanced and opposed by said first and said second upward forces causing carpal bones of the hand to separate to stretch a carpal ligament and a flexor retinaculum of the hand, wherein said control unit selectively activates said first and said second pressure means in response to predetermined program instructions.