Exercises for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Prevention

With computers and other technology being so much a part of our lives today, the risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome is simply too high to ignore.
As you type on your keyboard and move your mouse around for hours upon hours each day, tissue in your carpal tunnel can swell, placing pressure on the median nerve. The result is a pinched nerve in your hand. If left untreated, it can cause permanent nerve damage.
Make Carpal Tunnel Exercises a Part of Your Daily Routine
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons**, you should do five-minute warm-up exercises for carpal tunnel prevention before you start using your keyboard and mouse. The exercises include:
1. Stretch your arms in front of you, wrists and hands stretched up as if in a hand stand, and hold for five seconds.
2. Keeping your wrist straight, relax your fingers.
3. With arms still outstretched, make tight fists with both hands.
4. While keeping your fists tight and arms straight, bend both wrists down and hold for five seconds.
5. Now straighten your wrists and relax your fingers. Hold the position for five seconds.
6. Repeat exercises 1-5 for 10 times. After the tenth time, allow your arms to relax by your side as you shake your hands for a few seconds.
** American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons

Do the exercises several times a day to help prevent problems from developing. Maintaining good posture at all times is also helpful in preventing carpal tunnel syndrome. Keep your spine against the back of your chair, shoulders relaxed, elbows along the side of your body and wrists straight. Keep your hands and wrists in a relaxed, comfortable position while typing. Reduce mouse usage and ensure you are working in an ergonomic workspace.
If You Have:
• tingling and numbness in your thumb, index, and middle finger,
• tingling in all fingers,
• tingling in only the thumb or middle finger,
• aching and pain in your hand,
• aching in your forearm that can radiate to your shoulder or back, and/or
• clumsiness or a weak grip,
You Might Have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Don't delay treatment.
If you suffer with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, treatment may not require surgery. Simply resting your hand, wearing a wrist brace, and taking medication may provide relief. However, if your symptoms persist for at least 8 weeks and a test shows you have a pinched nerve, then surgical treatment may be your best option for hand pain relief.

By E. Brown

Top 7 Tips To Relieve Wrist Pain

You may not realize just how important your wrists are until one of them gets hurt. There are basically two types of wrist injury. One is acute, such as a sprain or a fracture. The other is overuse, caused by the repetitive motion of activities such as typing. The overuse injury that most often affects the wrists is tendinitis. People who use their hands a lot such as carpenters, computer operators, musicians can develop tendinitis if the tendons in their wrists are not strong and flexible enough. Overuse can also affect the ulnar nerve, which runs along pinkie side of the wrist and hand. And it can cause tissues in the wrist to swell and put pressure on the median nerve, leading to carpel tunnel syndrome. Both conditions can produce tingling, numbness, and pain in the fingers and hands as well as in the wrists. Here are some tips that you can consider to adopt to relieve wrist pain.
1. Build Some Muscles
You can prevent future wrist pain by strengthening the muscles in your forearms. It is recommended holding a 6-ounce can of tomato paste in each hand and flexing your wrists back and forth 15 to 20 times. Or you can simply squeeze a tennis ball in each hand. Squeeze the ball for 5 seconds and release, then repeat 12 to 15 times.
2. Ease Back Into It
A wrist that has been immobilized may become stiff from lack of use. Some gentle stretching can help restore flexibility. It is recommended pressing on a tabletop with the palm of your hand. Bend your wrist until you reach the angle of pain, then back off just a hair. By riding the edge of discomfort and stopping just before you feel pain, you are doing beneficial stretching. Hold this position or as long as you find comfortable, working up to 2 minutes. Repeat three to four times daily.
3. Treat It Gingerly
A compress made from ginger can draw out toxins and accelerate the healing process. To make the compress, simply boil some grated gingerroot, allow it to cool, place it in a moist washcloth, and lay the washcloth over your wrist. The washcloth should be as hot as you can tolerate. Leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes, and repeat every other hour.
4. Keep Still
For a more severe case of tendinitis, immobilizing the joint with an elastic wrist support may provide some relief. You will find these devices in drugstores and medical supply stores. It is recommended wearing one while you sleep, to prevent your wrist from twisting awkwardly as well as during your waking hours, when your wrist is in use. The support should keep your wrist in about 10-degree dorsiflex position. In other words, if your palm is facing downward, your wrist should be bent slightly upward.
5. Put It On The Rocks
Ice is a vasoconstrictor. That means it decreases the blood supply in your wrist, which helps reduce any swelling. It is recommended putting ice cubes in a plastic bag, wrapping the bag in a towel, and applying the pack to your wrist for about 20 minutes. Repeat the treatment four to six times a day.
6. Raise Your Hand
Elevation is not as crucial for an injured wrist as for an injured ankle or knee. Still, it can help keep any swelling down. Just be sure to prop your wrist so that it is above heart level.
7. Turn On The Heat
Once any swelling subsides, or if your wrist simply feels stiff and achy, heat can help. It is recommended to follow these instructions. Rub vinegar on your wrist, cover it with plastic, then apply a heating pad wrapped in a towel for about 20 minutes. You can repeat this treatment every hour as needed.

By Raymond Geok Seng Lee