Five Stretches to Help Your
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a debilitating disorder affecting the nerves
that pass through the wrist and into the hand. In addition, compression
can also occur in the neck region, making some patients' problems more
complex. At its essence, carpal tunnel syndrome is a disease of nerves
but other tissues can also be affected. For example, the joints of the
wrist may lose their mobility through a combination of wrist braces or
pain-avoidance behavior. Because the hand is used less, the shoulder and
upper arm region may also get affected with tightness and weakness.
As pain continues, we may stop using a keyboard or playing certain
sports or hobbies. All of this lack of activity makes muscles weaker and
joint function further impaired. This is why it is important to
maintain flexibility of your joints and muscles if you have this
disorder.
Two good stretches for the forearm and hand
involve stretching into flexion, which lengthens the tissues on the back
of the wrist and moving your fingers backwards, stretching the palm and
the front of the forearm. You can do these two stretches by using your
other hand to bend the fingers backwards and pulling the back of the
hand forward. If either of these motions causes more pain, then you
should avoid them.
Three additional stretches involve
the elbow, wrist and neck. For the elbow, extend your arm out,
stretching the front of the upper arm. You can also rotate the wrist by
twisting it until the thumb points down maximally and outwards
maximally. Check to see if you have the same flexibility on both sides;
your goal will be to create symmetrical side to side movements.
The shoulder and neck are often neglected in carpal tunnel stretches
but are critical because the nerve that goes through the wrist starts in
the neck area and passes through the shoulder. Put both hands over your
head and "reach for the stars." You might also rotate your shoulders by
moving your arms in large circles. This stretch will also affect the
neck. It's important to do your stretches slowly. Little by little, the
nerve will have more flexibility as it courses down the arm and this may
help your hand symptoms.