Stretching is a good thing.
Babies stretch. Dogs and cats stretch. You used to stretch, too.
If you watch a baby or a cat or dog, you will notice that when they stretch they always move in a way that opens the front of their body. Naturally and instinctively they stretch the muscles that need to be stretched.
That gives us a clue, right?
Massage is a good thing, too.
Massage is old medicine. It’s a natural healing technique that has been used for hundreds of years. And, you can often do your own massage for carpal tunnel pain relief.
Stretching the muscles in
the front of your body can help you stay in “neutral” posture. That can help prevent carpal tunnel symptoms and other pains. Stretching can also help you get back into better posture. You may start to feel benefit fairly quickly.
You should know, however, that when you stretch a muscle the part that stretches is the part that is NOT in contraction. A scar or contraction or tight area of muscle won’t stretch but the healthy part of the muscle will. That means you don’t get a complete stretch for the whole muscle.
That is exactly one of the best reasons for massage therapy!
By massaging or manually pressing on or into a muscle it stretches the “stuck” areas. You can cause the muscle to relax. When your muscle relaxes or releases, then you will be able to get a complete stretch.
So, massage those needy muscles first. Press into them. They may initially be quite tender but if you are pressing into the correct areas, they will relax.