Hello All, today we are going to look at Exercises For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Relief.
Now, to begin with, the topics we will cover today are;
- What it is (CTS),
- How you can get it, and…
- What Exercises you can do to make it feel better.
If you suffer from it badly and exercise doesn’t work then it may be necessary to have surgery. It can be very unpleasant for some sufferers. As some of you may likely know, but if you don’t…
Have you heard of this syndrome before? Whatever the case – Let me know in the comments below.
Before you skip to the comments section though please keep reading…
So…
What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is pressure on the median nerve in your wrist. This nerve runs from your neck all the way to the wrist. It causes tingling, numbness, pins and needles, and pain in your hand, wrist, and fingers.
You can treat it yourself, but it Is a very long-drawn-out process.
A lot of sufferers get it in both wrists but it’s usually worse in the predominant hand.
Whether you are left-handed or right-handed this will be where you notice it the most?
What Are The Main Causes of CTS?
CTS occurs when the carpal tunnel inside your wrist swells and squeezes the median nerve.
You are more likely to suffer from it if you :
- Suffer from arthritis or diabetes
- If you are pregnant
- You have a parent or sibling with CTS
- If you have had a wrist injury
- Or, you work or have a hobby that means you bend your wrists a little too often
- Also, if you repeatedly have to grip on to things this can be another cause.
The best way to treat CTS I will get too soon but first a few things you may need to understand;
What Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Feels Like
If you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome some of the pains you may experience include;
- Numb fingers, normally your thumb, index, and middle finger
- Pins and needles or tingling in all of your fingers
- Difficulty with opening things and reduced strength in the thumb
- Pain in the arm, wrist, or fingers
The pain can come on at any time without warning. Even, if the affected wrist is at rest. The tingling in the hand and fingers is very annoying. It’s also a sign to say you have done too much with that wrist so you need to rest it as much as you can.
How CTS Is It Diagnosed
Firstly you will need to visit your doctor and describe your symptoms. The doctor will then carry out a small examination of your wrist and hand. If he or she is not positive about the diagnosis then you will need to go for an ultrasound scan for confirmation.
What Is The Best Exercise for Carpal Tunnel
Check out the free PDF above for some different exercises with illustrations you can try anytime by just printing out your own copy. These are not the same exercises that I will share with you below ⏬
Now…
Gentle Warm-Up Exercises
It’s always best to do a gentle warm-up first. This one here is a great example;
- Stretch your thumb by pulling it back very gently, holding it for 10 seconds, and then releasing it. Do this 4 times.
- Rotate your wrist up, down, and from side to side. Do this 4 times.
- Stretch your fingers as far apart as you can, hold them for 5 seconds then relax, and then stretch again. Do this 4 times.
Once you are ready here are some others to try;
Wrist Flexor + Wrist Extensor
- Extend your arm out in front of you with your palm facing up.
- Bend your wrist slowly pointing your fingers to the floor.
- Using your other hand, gently bend your wrists a little further until you feel The stretch in your forearm
- Hold this position for at least 15 to 30 seconds. Do this 2 to 4 times.
- Repeat steps 1 to 4 of the above stretch but instead start with your extended hand palm facing down.
Prayer Stretch
- Start with your palms together in front of your chest just below your chin.
- Slowly lower your hands toward your waist,
- Keep your hands close to your stomach and your palms together until you feel a stretch in your forearms.
- Hold That position for 15 – 30 seconds.
- Do this 2 to 4 times.
Note: If this causes you to feel any pain whatsoever then stop immediately!
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment Options
In some cases, Carpal tunnel Syndrome can go away on its own. If you rest your wrist for a few weeks this definitely can help. However, once healed it can come back again. So if you know the reason for causing it the last time around just try to be more careful.
As a precaution, to give your wrist the rest it needs you can wear a splint to help to keep it straight.
For best results wear it at night, including when you are sleeping.
You can also take anti-inflammatory s or paracetamol for the pain. If these are not effective your doctor may give you a steroid injection directly into the wrist, to reduce the inflammation.
This method is not a cure and it may be necessary to repeat the process.
Try to stop whatever the activity is that’s causing the problem if it’s related to your work such as using a computer mouse then that could prove to be very difficult for you.
Surgery is the only other option if all else fails.
You will be given a local anesthetic in your wrist so you do not feel any pain, a small cut is then made in your hand. The carpal tunnel inside your wrist is cut to relieve the pressure on the nerve.
This is an outpatient day surgery procedure that takes about 20 minutes.
It can take up to a month after the operation to get back to doing normal things.
Can Carpal Tunnel Be Cured with Exercise?
Doctors can more often than not treat CTS without too many problems. Individuals may find that regularly committing to these exercises for 6 to 8 weeks diminishes side effects. Although, In the event that exercises are not working adequate rest to the affected area can sometimes work just as well.
My Final Thoughts
Whilst writing this information for you my fingers were tingling all the way through. You see I too am a sufferer of CTS.
This is very off-putting but not too painful. The exercises above I find help to relieve and reduce these feelings. Although, one piece of advice I have. As much as it can be tempting to do these exercises don’t overdo them. Instead, try to rest the affected wrist whenever possible.
For me, the pain comes and goes without any warning. Just be very careful when handling anything hot. Plus, the other piece of advice I can give you is don’t sleep on your arm or hand. If you do you are very likely to wake up with a numb hand or fingers. Which obviously in terms of your recovery is not a good sign.
Finally;
YOUR FEEDBACK
Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to read this article. If, you would like to leave a comment or you have a question you can leave them below.
I love hearing from you and I will always reply back.
Do you know anyone else who would get benefit from reading this post? if, so then please feel free to share.
Many thanks and
Take great care of yourself because you are worth it.
Best regards;
Alex C
PS:
This article is for information purposes only, it’s not intended to diagnose or treat you. I am not a doctor. Please speak to a medical professional if you have a medical issue that needs to be treated.
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Someone quite close to me was diagnosed with CTS so I am so glad that I came across your post. Coming from someone who has CTS them self makes me feel even more connected to your article and tips to overcome CTS. I will definitely be talking to my friend about the different exercises you have shared here. Obviously resting your wrist is they key, but if these other exercises help, that would be great. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Prya,
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts.
I appreciate your time.
I hope it helps others.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for the very useful information, my mum suffered CTS and she had surgery for that reason.
Luckily I’m not feeling any pain yet, but thanks to your advice, I learned an exercise that can prevent me from getting a potentially severe injury.
I’ve already bookmarked your page indeed.
Thank you,
Andrea
Thank you very much for stopping by. I hope you don’t become a sufferer. Doing the exercises will help you.
Hello there, it’s funny how we suffer some things and can’t even get to know what it really is and feel happy to finally get to see e this wonderful article. I have been feeling this pain in my wrists and I guess it’s because of the weight lifting I do. I would see that I do these exercises. Thank you for sharing
You are very welcome,
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts
This is actually very good to see here. I have actually been affected by this only once but due to not having adequate Information about it, I couldn’t treat it well enough on my own and had to stop working out for a lot of time. Seeing this here makes a lot of sense and is very helpful . Thanks so much for sharing here
As a sufferer myself I know how bad it feels.
Thank you very much for leaving a comment.
I think it’s great that you wrote this article about carpal tunnel syndrome informing a lot of people, just like me, about it. I have heard of CPT before but I never knew it as extensively as this until now. It’s surprising because this is a very serious health issue with lots of complications. I think it’s nice that youve recommended these exercises.
I’m so happy you have learned a bit about carpel tunnel.
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts.
Hi Alex,
This is such an important article for people with Carpal Tunnel syndrome and I think these exercises will definitely benefit them.
I know of one person who has this issue so I am going to share this article with them. I will advise them to get in touch with you if they have any burning questions or issues, if that is OK with you?
Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work on your site.
All the best,
Tom
Hi Tom, Thank you and I really hope this article is helpful also and if you could pass this on I would really appreciate this. Many thanks; Alex
My Mum had surgery on both of her wrists more than 20 years ago. She was bandaged up for about 6 weeks from memory.
I have some tingling in my dominant hand sometimes, so I’m wondering what I can do about it. I will commit to an exercise program like you have suggested above, because I do not want to go for the surgery unless absolutely necessary. Rest is a good idea, especially staying away from the computer mouse and keyboard, however, this is not always possible.
Thanks for the information
Hi Andrew, I have not had any family experience with CTS myself that I know of but I think with me I do get aches and pains around this area. It is likely the early stages of osteoarthritis as I know this runs in the family but then again like you I am always typing so it could be this I suppose.