Does stretching help Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
The answer seems to be, “It depends.” Stretching in general is good, especially stretching the muscles that we hold in short positions for most of our day.
Keeping the muscles in the front of your body stretched can help prevent carpal tunnel symptoms in the first place. It can also help you have better posture and lots less pain all over.
So, when is stretching not so good for your carpal tunnel?
Tendons are the ends of muscles that attach to bones. The tendons for your finger muscles attach way up toward
your elbows. The tendons are inside of sheaths. A sheath is like a hollow straw. The tendons are supposed to move smoothly through the sheath when you bend your wrist. The tendons pass through your “carpal tunnel”–a passageway in your wrist.
But, sometimes the lubricant in the sheath “dries out” and the tendons start to move less smoothly. When that happens, continuing to bend your wrist will stretch the tendons but also aggravates them.
Working on the tendon attachments in your forearm with gentle movement, massage and warmth can help the tendons move more smoothly again.