Treatment and Preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Does your job or hobby put strain on your hands and wrists? Do you sometimes feel tingling, numbness or pain and you’re wondering if you have carpal tunnel syndrome? You want to make sure that it doesn’t get worse, regardless of a diagnosis, and luckily for you there are many ways to do this!
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on your median nerve, the nerve that gives feeling to your thumb and fingers—barring your pinky. The median nerve goes through your wrist and passes through a small passage called the carpal tunnel. This is the bone and ligament that will squeeze and pinch your nerve if it is swelling or otherwise injured.
We cannot totally prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, there’s no surefire way to prevent it but you can reduce stress on your hands as well as strain, you can keep it from worsening.
Some Tips To Help Carpal Tunnel And Prevent It From Getting Worse
Sometimes, when we get into a routine, we are so used to doing things one way that we stop thinking about how we are doing it. This means we might be applying an unnecessary amount of force to your daily activity, such as typing on a keyboard, or you may be gripping your tools too tightly.
As you go through the day, try to keep an eye on how tense your hands are and how hard you’re working them. A softer touch can do wonders for hand pain.
Most physical therapists, such as the ones at AmeriWell, will also recommend taking breaks. It’s okay to take a ten to fifteen minute break to stretch your hands. This is ideally a little break every hour that you work, so that you)r hands are not taking on too much stress. When taking your breaks you should stretch your hands, and there are various types of stretches that you can implement, such as making a fist and sliding your fingers up until they point straight out, or making a fist and fanning your fingers out, stretching as far as you can. You should repeat these stretches five to ten times to be effective.
But How Do You Actually Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Treatment is similar at times to the preventative measures that you may be taking. You should be taking breaks, avoiding activities that make your symptoms worse, and apply cold packs when the swelling is bad. For more nonsurgical therapy tips to prevent and lessen symptoms, read on.
Wrist splinting is when you wear a wrist that holds your wrist while you sleep, and it can stop nighttime symptoms. You can usually tell a difference in your daytime symptoms after wearing a splint at nighttime, though you may choose to wear a splint during the day too while doing activities that are particularly hard on your hands. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen can also help to relieve pain from carpal tunnel syndrome, and if your symptoms are too severe, you may have surgery suggested to you.