Have you ever experienced any pain, numbness, or tingling sensation in your fingers or hands while working on a laptop for hours or while holding a phone and chatting over a call for a longer time? Well, you have mild symptoms of Carpel Tunel Syndrome (CTS), and to treat it, Healing Hands has come up with a few exercises that you can do in the comfort of your home or workstation.
But, before that, let’s see what Carpel Tunel Syndrome is.
Carpal tunnel syndrome, which is also known as Median Nerve Entrapment Syndrome, involves compression of the median nerve in the wrist. This can cause pain and numbness in your hand. It occurs when a nerve in your wrist is pinched, and in most cases, it is the result of your everyday tasks like using vibrating hand tools, playing a musical instrument, or using manual labor equipment. The condition may just affect one or both of your hands, and it usually develops slowly and progressively. Your fingers, especially your thumbs and index fingers, may feel numb or tingly.
Best hand exercises for carpal tunnel
If you have mild Carpel Tunnel symptoms that these simple exercises can help you accompanied with other treatments, lifestyle changes, and medication. So, let’s have a look!
Shake your hands
This exercise is easy, especially at night when your symptoms can be worse. If you wake up with pain or numbness, shake your hands out to get some relief.
Hand squeeze
This exercise targets your forearm muscles. You can perform it with a soft rubber ball or with a rolled-up pair of socks. Follow these steps:
- Hold the ball in one hand and squeeze for five seconds, then release
- Repeat 10 times with each hand
- Perform three sets of repetitions before switching hands
Wrist extension
To stretch your inner forearm, follow these steps:
- Hold one arm straight out in front of your body at shoulder height.
- Make sure not to lock your elbow when doing this exercise.
- Bend the wrist back as if making a “stop” sign with your hand and use the other hand to gently pull your palm back toward your body to feel a stretch in your inner forearm.
- Hold for 15 seconds on each side and repeat five times.
Wrist flexion
This exercise is just the opposite of wrist extension. To stretch the outer forearm, follow these
steps:
- Extend one arm out in front of your body at shoulder height.
- Don’t lock your elbow when stretching the arm out; keep it relaxed so that your fingers point toward the floor.
- Bend the wrist so that your fingers point toward the floor, then gently pull on this bent wrist with your other hand to feel a stretch in the outer forearm.
- Hold this position for 15 seconds and repeat it five times on each arm.
Median nerve glide
To stretch the median nerve, which runs down the center of your palm, follow the steps below:
- Make a fist with one hand and keep the thumb on the outside.
- Uncurl your fingers and stretch them straight out in front of you.
- Then bend your hand back toward your forearm until your fingers are pressed against your skin.
- Gently extend your thumb out to the side.
- Using both hands, apply gentle pressure on the sides of your thumbs to stretch them.
- For each change of position, hold for 3–7 seconds and repeat on another side.
Tendon glides
You’ll move your fingers and hand through a variety of positions during this exercise. So take your time and transition between positions with ease:
- Begin by bending your elbow, keeping your wrist straight, pointing upward with your fingers, and keeping your thumb relaxed.
- Curl your fingers inward so that they’re all bent at the middle knuckles and your fingertips touch the top of your palm-it looks like you’re hitchhiking with curled fingers.
- Straighten your fingers so that an L-shape is formed with your hand–your thumb’s still relaxed. Fold your fingers straight down so that their fingertips touch their palm-you’re making a straight-fingered fist with your thumb tucked in and touching its index finger.
- Repeat this exercise at least 10 times with each hand.
Closure
Follow the exercises outlined above and do them every day. Perform these exercises at least six times a week, repeating them every five hours and we hope they will help you reduce your CTS triggers. After completing these exercises, apply crushed ice or frozen peas to your hand for 20 minutes to help prevent inflammation. You can also try hot fermentation before the start of these exercises. This before-and-after ritual will help you relax your muscles. In addition, we recommend you tweak a few lifestyle changes to see better results; changes such as taking breaks from long work hours, doing basic stretches, keeping your hands warm by wearing gloves, etc.
If you have persistent symptoms of carpal tunnel, consult our certified and experienced occupational therapist Heather Mogielnicki. Her therapy helps heal by addressing the underlying causes of your pain, combining science-based therapy with intuitive energy healing.
