Yoga Exercises for Carpal Tunnel

Variety of Carpal Tunnel Exercises

To prevent carpal tunnel syndrome from becoming acute, consider some exercises to prevent the tendons and muscles from becoming tight. Medical procedures should not be the first consideration. There are noninvasive treatments that can bring comfort and healing.



Keeping your muscles and tendons flexible and strong can can relieve pain in the carpal tunnel. Frequent muscle stretching throughout day can reduce the swelling within the tunnel and bring relief by lessening the pressure around the carpal median nerve. The aspect of permanent injury is reduced.



I am going to list some exercises that can be done at home or at the work place to help those doing repetitive motion jobs.



These routines should be begin at the start of the workday and at various times during the day. Do these routines 3 to 5 time a week. Following these tips will bring healing to the carpal tunnel and minimize your discomfort.



To limber up, message the palm and back of the hand with thumb and fingers. Also message the muscles in the top and underside of the forearm to relax the muscles and work out knots in the muscles. Use firm pressure as you message. With the hand positioned out from the body in the “stop” position gently bend the fingers back toward the forearm until you feel the muscles stretch. Hold for about 5 seconds. Make a fist and then extend fingers out from fist. Repeat 4 or 5 times.



Stand or sit with your elbows at your waistline, your forearms extended in front of you parallel to the floor with your palms down. Make a fist with both hands and rotate hands back and forth. Open up the fist and extend your fingers. Repeat these exercises 10 times



Again with your elbows near your waist and your forearms parallel to the floor and in front of you with palms down grasp a one pound weight in each hand. Slowly let the weights bend your wrists down. Raise the weight to palms extended and repeat about 10 times. The one pound weight can be any thing that is handy and easy to grasp. Typically a small dumbbell is used.
With the same arm elbow position as above, hold a one pound weight in each hand. With the wrist held straight, slowly rotate your wrists from side to with a windshield wiper type motion. Repeat ten times.



With your elbows at your waist line, extend your forearms out in front of you parallel to the floor, hold a one pound weight in each hand. Slowly turn your wrists until your palms are facing up. Turn your wrists so your palms face down. Repeat this exercise 10 times.



These procedures have no side effects. If pain becomes severe when doing one or more of these exercises because of advanced stages of carpal tunnel syndrome, discontinue the ones that cause pain and continue with the rest. Slowly work those exercises that caused pain back into the exercise routine

Causes and Natural Treatments For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Simply being aware and implementing a few easy techniques at home and work, people can prevent repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome from occurring and have many years of good health .

Carpal tunnel syndrome are a numbness or tingling in the hands, a burning sensation in the fingers or sharp pains shooting up the arm,. With carpal tunnel syndrome it can be difficult to differentiate between hot from cold by touch. An apparent loss of hand and wrist strength is often experienced. Neurological findings are reversible especially if the symptoms are intermittent.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (cts) results when the median nerve does not work properly. This is thought to occur when there is too much pressure on the median nerve as it runs down the forearm into the wrist through the carpal tunnel. It becomes easier to understand how this occurs by understanding some of the anatomy of the wrist. The median nerve supplies sensation to the index finger, long finger, thumb, and half of the ring finger. A branch of the median nerve supplies sensation to the muscles of the thumb, the thinner muscles. These muscles are very important as they help move the thumb so that you can touch the other fingers.

The median nerve begins at the base of the skull. It may become irritated anywhere along the path to the hand. Possible causes of irritation are misaligned bones in the neck, tight neck muscles , shoulder problems, inflamed tendons and misaligned bones in the carpal area can all result in irritating the median nerve. The wrist and neck are both areas for the median nerve to become irritated. When there is irritation in both areas, it is called a “double crush syndrome. ” Wrist only surgeries often overlook the neck contribution resulting in continuing problems as the patient continues to experience carpal tunnel symptoms.

Changes in the balance of body fluids resulting from pregnancy, menopause, thyroid, kidney disorders, and diabetes contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome. Nerve damage from alcoholism, or physical damage to the wrist area produces inflammation that increases symptoms of pain and numbness.

Poor posture (such as sitting with slumped shoulders) can cause irritation of the median nerve especially in the shoulder area as well as slips or falls, repetitive movements improperly done over time, awkward hand positions and hobbies such as bowling or tennis.

Your diet can be a major factor in CTS. A diet that insures that you are getting the necessary nutrients and minerals is essential for bodily healing. Do research on diets or seek out nutritional consultants.

There are several alternative procedures to consider to help relieve the symptoms. Ultrasound therapy has been effective in that it raises the temperature of the carpal tunnel promoting healing Several energy techniques are becoming popular. Acupuncture and acupressure are nonsurgical alternative forms of treatment worthy of consideration. Yoga is also worth looking into for carpal tunnel syndrome relief. Yoga releasing techniques are very beneficial. Also seek out the assistance of a chiropractor. Chiropractors are trained in the relationship that nerves, muscles, and tendons have to each other.

Another Excellent Video

Below is another excellent video on relief from carpal tunnel syndrome

Preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Try these steps for preventing carpal tunnel syndrome. You can do these at your work place. Try  to incorporate many if not all of these preventive measures for easing the symptoms and thereby preventing carpal tunnel syndrome.

1. Exercises- To a great extent  exercises play a crucial role in preventing carpal tunnel syndrome .  Increased  blood circulation in the affected area and prevents swelling of  the ligaments and tendons. 
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2. Frequent short breaks- Frequent short breaks  helps in relaxing your body,  preventing inflammation of the tendons and ligaments  thereby preventing carpal tunnel.

3.Posture- Maintaining the correct  body posture and wrist position ,  decreases any pressure buildup on the carpal  area  avoiding any inflammation  or swelling. This helps prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.

4. Maintain warm hands- Wear fingerless gloves. This will provide blood circulation in all areas  and also keep your hands warm and flexible increasing the blood circulation. Due to repetitive motion of the hands many people are at the risk of injury.  Wrist braces are often used during sleeping hours to keep the wrist from bending and restricting blood circulation

.Doing some stretching exercises several times during the day is very beneficial.

.Symptoms of CTS

The  carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms may vary with each individual. Some common ones are:

-Pain in the hands-  A pinching type of pain  starting at the wrist and spreading to the palm of the hand, sometimes reaching the fingers. It is often confused as arthritis pain.

-Pain in the fingers- intermittent pain waves are experienced within the finger tendons. This is again  mistaken as arthritis pain. 

-Feeling of weakness-Strength of the hand and wrist is often reduced. Sometimes because the pain is to severe to continue.

- Tingling and numbness- This is described also as the feeling of needles or pins. Also, there can be  an inability to hold onto small objects

Apply least invasive options first

The following article is a very interesting read. I think that following the authors lead will benefit us in other health issues.

John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

Some years ago I suffered badly from tendon inflammation in my hand.
It was swollen, painful and had very little strength. I had a carpal tunnel operation which released some pressure, but did not solve the problem. I had about 20 per cent use of my hand and I remember muttering to myself that I may as well cut it off. It wasn’t a serious thought, but the problem was so bad that some radical hand surgery was booked. Before I had surgery I decided to make sure I had exhausted every non-invasive option first. I went on the most intensive micro nutritional regime possible within the maximum safe levels and this included Omega 3 fish oils, a range of antioxidants including 500+ mg of flavanols, trace minerals and a complex of other anti-inflammatory natural compounds. After three months the hand had improved so much I cancelled the surgery and now have 100 per cent use of my hand.
The best lessons in life are those that you learn from experience. What this taught me was to always try the least invasive options first before turning to higher risk options, which in this case was an operation with an uncertain outcome. This approach obviously does not apply to any acute or serious health problem.
There are a number of reasons why we look to what are essentially higher risk, more invasive solutions first. It can be anything from being impatient to a lack of information. One of the best things anyone can do if you have health problems is to become as informed as possible and I am encouraged when people contact me looking for more information about their problems. One of the best sources of information on health problems is the prestigious Mayo Clinic – www.mayoclinic.com – which provides free information on virtually every health problem and looks at various treatment options.
When using a complementary approach to health problems there are several things to consider. Firstly, it is important to have a proper diagnosis and symptom relief where needed. Secondly, you need the right nutrients at the right levels. The third factor is time. Many prescribed medicines work very quickly. Nutrients work more slowly by trying to restore normal cell function and therefore it is important to think in three monthly time blocks with a month by month review.
John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. For product information
visit www.abundant.co.nz If you have questions or would like a free health plan phone 07 578 9051 or 0800 423 or email john@johnarts.co.nz You can join his newsletter at www.johnarts.co.nz