How does carpal tunnel pain and discomfort happen?
We often use our arms and hands and body in the same way all day. Some of the muscles get overused, and they began to complain. This is how carpal tunnel syndrome often begins.
You can start to lessen your carpal tunnel pain by doing some of the suggestions listed below. As you do each one, do it in a thoughtful manner. Feel what is occurring. Observe your body.
1. Sit in a different position than the one you usually use. If you always cross one leg over the other try switching.
2. Do the opposite movement of any movement that you do regularly. If you generally bend your wrists in one direction, try stretching them in the other direction.
3. Lift your elbows behind you, and swing your lower arms back into a straight line with your upper arms. Keep your head over your shoulders when you do this.
4. Get into a swimming pool or hot tub with water up to your neck. Wave your arms back and forth, below the water, behind and in front of you. The resistance of the water is like a massage for your arms, and it will help balance and strengthen your muscles.
5. Walk backward. Be sure there are no obstacles behind you. This uses your arms and body in a whole new way.
6. Stretch your chest muscles by leaning through a doorway. Put your hands on the sides of the doorway and lean through. You want to feel a gentle stretch in your chest muscles. Try this with your hands at shoulder height, at head height, and over your head. Be sure to keep your head in line with your spine; don’t let your head move out in front.
7. Lie on your back and stretch your arms over your head. Feel the stretch in your arms and chest. You can also do this with a pillow or rolled towel behind your back to get more stretch in the front of your body.
Moving your body in a lot of different ways helps
move the blood and lymph fluid through your arms. That reduces swelling and helps relieve your carpal tunnel pain. It also uses your muscles in ways that they are not used to. Keeping that in mind, always start a movement program for carpal tunnel syndrome thoughtfully and slowly. Give your muscles time to adjust to the new positions.
Now, think about the ways that you usually hold your arms and hands.
Try stretching them and moving them into different directions. If you usually hold your hands in an up or down position, see if you can move them sideways with your thumbs up. Then see if you can move them palm up.
What about your fingers? Do you usually hold them in a downward position? What if you gently stretch them in the opposite direction?
Carpal tunnel pain can be relieved by using our hands and body and arms differently than the ways that we usually use them.
When you were a little kid, you used ALL of your muscles! Now, maybe only 70 of the 600 muscles get used each day. That’s the problem.
Which of these new movements will you try today? Don’t forget to use them again tomorrow!
“Because you deserve to feel better!”