Would you like to know how walking helps carpal tunnel discomfort?
Or are you thinking, “What is she talking about? I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome not walking issues!”
Well, there are lots of reasons why you can have pain in your carpal tunnel area.
We sometimes do things without even thinking about them. These “things” can be the cause of carpal tunnel pain. It could be the way we walk, sleep, or work. It could be how or where we carry our purse.
When we start to eliminate the causes of our carpal tunnel pain, our pain will become less.
It turns out that lots of people don’t walk correctly. They have developed poor movement habits for one reason or another. Arms are supposed to move in a certain way and arms are connected to your…carpal tunnel! 🙂
Here are some reasons and tips to help you move your arms correctly when you walk.
When you move your arms correctly, all of the muscles and soft tissues around your shoulders and upper body become stronger and more flexible.
The fluids will move through your arms more efficiently. This can reduce swelling that causes carpal tunnel syndrome.
Moving your arms correctly will help improve your posture. Good posture has many health benefits!
When your arms are moving properly, and your posture is good, you are much less likely to have pain in your carpal tunnel area.
- When you walk, walk with your thumbs pointing forward and up, as though you are going to shake hands with someone. Walking with the backs of your hands facing forward shortens the muscles in the front of your body. These shortened front muscles cause carpal tunnel pain. If it is hard
for you to rotate your arms so your thumbs point up, you can practice in bed and let gravity help you as you roll your thumbs to the outside (laying on your back). Walking with your thumbs pointing forward (rather than toward each other) also makes it easier for your arms to swing loosely from your shoulders. Just look down to see where your thumbs are pointing when you stand up and then correct them, if needed.
- Let your arms swing back and forth from your shoulders when you walk. Let them swing front and back, front and back. When you walk, let your arms swing at your sides, without crossing either arm in front of your body. Have someone watch you if you don’t know whether you are swinging one or both arms across the front of your body. If you swing your arms across the front of your body, it shortens the chest muscles and can cause pain in your arms, wrists and hands.
- If you have flat feet, wear arch supports. When we have flat feet, we lean forward and that encourages forward-head posture. This is the beginning of collapsed posture. This is something to avoid. Arch supports help us stand up straight. They help balance our arm movements by allowing our arms to swing freely from our shoulders. This prevents shortened chest muscles which cause carpal tunnel pain.
- Start a “carpal tunnel walking program” using these tips. Let your arms swing freely at your sides for a while. “Pump” your arms for a while like you’re marching. Walking while pumping your arms uses all of the muscles of your arms and shoulders and gets your blood and lymph fluid flowing. It helps flush metabolic wastes from your arms and hands, so you will have less carpal tunnel area pain. You will also be strengthening your back when you walk correctly with your breastbone lifted.
Making these simple corrections to the way you walk can help you reduce or eliminate your carpal tunnel syndrome.
And, that’s a good thing. If you’d like to learn more about a simple, self help program that I created to help you get rid of your carpal tunnel pain forever, naturally, please click here: Carpal Tunnel Tool Kit.
“Because You Deserve to Feel Better!”