There’s a narrow passage in your wrist called the carpal tunnel. This tunnel houses your median nerve, which sends signals to your thumb, index finger, middle finger and half of your ring finger. When the tissue around the median nerve swells, it can get squeezed in the carpal tunnel. This is a common condition called carpal tunnel syndrome. It affects up to 10 million people and can cause them to experience:
- Numbness, tingling or weakness in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and ring finger.
- Pain that can travel up the arm.
- An aching or burning sensation in the palm.
- Clumsiness or difficulty grasping objects.
Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by several culprits, including:
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, especially if they’re having an impact on your life, it’s important to consult a health care professional. Early intervention and diagnosis can help prevent the progression of carpal tunnel syndrome. While there aren’t proven strategies to completely avoid developing carpal tunnel syndrome, there are ways you can help lessen the stress on your hands and wrists. There are also beneficial treatments to help ease this frustrating condition.
Tips for conquering carpal tunnel in the office
In this digital age, our hands are constantly working with keyboards, smartphones and other devices, increasing our risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. However, there are some tactics you can use to help keep your wrists happy:
- Watch your posture — Good posture is important to help ward off strain on your wrists and hands. Sit with your elbows at a 90-degree angle and your wrists straight, keeping your forearms parallel to the floor. Use a chair with good back support, and keep your keyboard and mouse positioned at the right height to help boost your good posture habits.
- Take breaks; shake it off — A great method to help you incorporate rest breaks into your routine is the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away from you. Take this time to stand up and stretch your fingers, wrists and arms. You can make finger circles, shake your hands out and do some gentle wrist rolls. This allows you to give your hands, fingers, wrists and eyes a break, which can be great if your job involves looking at screens and doing a lot of repetitive hand movements.
- Adjust your grip — Relax your grip on your keyboard and mouse. You don’t have to clench them like you’re holding on to a prize fish for dear life!
- Use proper technique — It’s essential to learn and use the correct technique for things like typing on your work computer. Using appropriate techniques can help reduce strain on your hands and wrists.
- Practice hand exercises — Wrist and hand stretches can help you improve your flexibility and reduce tension in your muscles and tendons. You can do stretches like wrist flexors and extensor stretches. These exercises can help alleviate carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.
Tips to help you game without grumbling about pain
Gamers can rejoice. You no longer have to choose between epic victories and healthy wrists. Here are some tips that can help you keep carpal tunnel syndrome at bay:
- Opt for controller comfort — Choose a controller that fits comfortably in your hands and allows a relaxed grip. You can also experiment with different hand positions to avoid repetitive stress on the same muscle groups. This can help your hands and wrists, both in the moment and in the long run.
- Take breaks, champ — Just like office workers, gamers need breaks too! (Especially if you’re a gaming office worker! Those fingers, hands and wrists are working overtime in work and play.) Gamers can also follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, set your controller down and take a break to stretch out your wrists, hands and forearms.
- Use an ergonomic keyboard — If you’re a PC gamer, you can invest in an ergonomic keyboard designed to promote healthy wrist positioning. Make sure you use a relaxed grip at your keyboard too.
- Strengthen your hands — You can use therapy putty or grip strengtheners to help strengthen your hand and forearm muscles. These tools can improve overall hand function, reduce fatigue, and build endurance in your fingers, wrists and forearms.
- Change your game — If a particular game requires a lot of repetitive motions, try to take a break or switch to a different game that requires less hand strain.
- Listen to your body — If you experience any pain or numbness while gaming, stop and take a break. Ignoring warning signs can lead to bigger problems down the road.
Beneficial treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome
If you’re already experiencing symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, early intervention is key. Some beneficial treatments you can consider are:
- Wrist splints or braces — Wearing a wrist splint or a brace can help keep your wrists in a neutral position, especially while you sleep. This neutral position can help relieve pressure on your median nerve. You may find it easier to sleep peacefully while wearing a brace or splint.
- Medications — Over-the-counter pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medications can help you manage your pain and reduce the inflammation in your wrists.
- Physical therapy — A physical therapist can teach you exercises to strengthen your wrist and hand muscles, which can help improve your mobility and reduce your pain.
- Corticosteroid injection — In more severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, your health care provider may recommend a corticosteroid injection that delivers steroid medication directly to the affected area. It’s intended to temporarily reduce inflammation around your median nerve and can provide you with temporary pain relief.
- Surgery, as a last resort — In severe cases, if conservative treatment options haven’t provided you with adequate relief, your health care provider may recommend carpal tunnel release surgery.
Physical therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome
Physical therapy is a beneficial treatment to help manage carpal tunnel syndrome and alleviate pain. Techniques used by physical therapists to help carpal tunnel syndrome may include:
- Therapeutic exercises — These exercises are intended to target the wrist and forearm muscles to help improve flexibility, mobility and strength. Stretching techniques help address tightness in muscles and tendons that can compress the median nerve. Strengthening exercises can help improve your overall hand function and stability, which can reduce stress on the nerve.
- Nerve gliding exercises — Nerve gliding exercises involve gentle, controlled movements designed to help improve the mobility of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. Your physical therapist will guide your hand and wrist through specific movements to enhance nerve gliding. By promoting better gliding ability of the nerve, these exercises can help reduce tension and alleviate symptoms like numbness and tingling.
- Manual therapy — Manual therapy incorporates a variety of hands-on techniques, including joint mobilization and soft tissue mobilization. Your physical therapist will use these techniques to help target flexibility limitations, reduce inflammation, and improve blood flow in your wrist and forearm. Boosted circulation can help bring oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the affected area to promote healing and reduce pain.
- Electrical stimulation — Electrical stimulation involves low-level electrical currents delivered through electrodes placed on or around the affected area, which can help interrupt pain signals from reaching the brain and offer temporary pain relief. Electrical stimulation can also promote muscle healing and improved blood flow.
- Graston Technique® — The Graston Technique is an instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization approach. Your physical therapist will use specialized stainless steel tools to target specific areas of scar tissue, muscle adhesions and trigger points in your forearm and hand. These tools can help break down the scar tissue and adhesions that can be behind the tightness and pain caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. Improved tissue mobility can also potentially reduce the pressure on your median nerve.
Your physical therapist will assess your individual condition and design a customized treatment plan that may combine a variety of techniques that can include one or more of these techniques. Your treatment plan will be created with your specific needs and treatment goals in mind.
Panther Physical Therapy can help keep your hands healthy
Carpal tunnel syndrome doesn’t have to be a gamer’s or office worker’s worst nightmare. By following these preventive measures, you can reduce your chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. It’s important to remember that even with preventive measures, carpal tunnel syndrome can still happen. If you’re experiencing struggles with carpal tunnel syndrome, our expert team of physical therapists at Panther Physical Therapy can help. We’ll assess your unique situation and create a personalized treatment plan to help you find relief and get you back to gaming or working more comfortably. Take control of your hand health and enjoy the comfort you deserve!
Call us or request an appointment today for help with carpal tunnel syndrome pain.