Exercises for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

"Rodney was a computer programmer. He loved his work as it gave him a chance to be creative. He was also very fond of NFS (Need For Speed), a computer car race game. Suddenly he started developing pain at the back of his wrist. He used to wake up at night because of the pain and often experienced sudden numbness. He ignored it for a long time (like most of us do). One day during work he complained about the pain. This was when one of his colleagues suggested that it could be carpal tunnel syndrome and asked him to visit a doctor. After adequate tests the doctor concurred and advised him to go off work for a while, immobilize his wrist and ice his wrist once a day."

All of us occasionally experience pain in the wrist or the palm. However certain specific symptoms need to be kept in mind to make sure that you stay away from this disorder like, numbness, prickly sensation or intense pain in the first three fingers and thumb. Given below are exercises for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Exercises to Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)

Fist flexing exercises:

• Keep the fingers straight.
• Make a hook fist, keep it for 7 seconds and straighten the fingers again.
• Now make a straight fist, keep for 7 seconds and straighten fingers.
• Lastly make a full fist, keep for 7 seconds and return to a straight hand.

Median nerve gliding exercise:

• We can begin with a neutral fist.
• Straighten the fingers and thumb.
• Bend back the wrist and move the thumb away from the palm.
• Turn the wrist up.
• Pull the thumb farther away from your palm gently with the help of the other hand.

One can do 5 repetitions of each exercise 3 - 5 times a day for best results.

If you are not experiencing any symptoms but have a lifestyle that could make you prone to developing this disorder, a few exercises are suggested to lower the odds of your getting it.

• Extend both hands and stretch the wrist upwards.
• Straighten both wrists and relax fingers.
• Make a tight fist.
• Bend down both wrists (with the fist) for 5 seconds.
• Straighten wrists again and relax fingers. Hold it to a count of 5.

This exercise should be repeated 10 times and after that take the hands to the sides loosely and shake them for a few seconds. Rotating your shoulder and neck for 10 counts on a daily basis is also a very good exercise to keep CTS away.

Once the symptoms of CTS appear they will only get aggravated. Around 33% of CTS patients are actually serious enough for surgery, the others can prevent it with the help of these exercises.

• Grasp things with the whole hand and fingers to maintain balance.
• Give rest to your hands at least for a couple of hours.
• Maintain the right posture.
• Keep a wrist pad on your keyboard to give the right support to the wrist.
• Avoid foods high in sodium content, they lead to bloating and aggravate CTS.
• Obesity can also cause excessive pressure on the carpal tunnel. Maintain the right weight to keep CTS at bay.

CTS can cause a lot of disruption in your personal and professional life. Keeping yourself safe from it is easy, one just needs to be aware. In case you find yourself showing symptoms, consult a doctor at the earliest. The earlier you diagnose it, the easier is the treatment. So the moral of the story is "Stay fit, it always works!"