If you are experiencing discomforts such as tingling, aching or even numbness in your arms and hands, chances are you might be having a condition called carpal tunnel syndrome. It sounds serious, and yes, it is serious, for if left unaddressed it can affect your wellbeing in many ways.
The discomforts caused by carpal tunnel syndrome are not hard to miss, whereby the most apparent sign is a tingling, dull aching sensation in your hand and wrist. The pain or ache is caused by a pinched median nerve in your hand. This is the nerve that passes through a narrow carpal tunnel on the way to the hand. Anything that compresses or aggravates this nerve will cause the uncomfortable sensations that lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
This doesn’t happen overnight, though. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome usually develop gradually. So, just because you can’t feel any pain now, if you’re doing certain things today without knowing it, you may be on your way to experiencing this uncomfortable, often painful condition.
Preventative Measures
Since there are many factors that contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome, it may be a tad tricky to prevent it completely, but not impossible. Here are some steps to take, especially if you are already experiencing signs of it.
Avoid Long Periods Of Time In One Position
This isn’t an easy one, especially if you’re desk-bound at work. Still, keep in mind that your hands and wrists need breaks from time to time. It doesn’t even have to be long breaks – just a couple of minutes each time to stretch, bend and move your hand and wrist muscles.
Watch your force power!
When performing repetitive actions all day you not only need to be sure you’re keeping an eye on the position of your hands and wrists, but you’ll also need to pay extra attention to the force you use when performing your tasks. When you are holding something, for intance, try reducing your force and relax your grip. An average person uses more force than what is needed to perform certain tasks. Also, make sure you spread the pressure and motion evenly through your hand and wrist. You want to try and keep your wrist straight, or very slightly bent. If you’re used to pounding away at your computer keyboard, take note of this and try your best to relax your fingers, wrists and hands, and use gentle strokes at the keys instead.
Practice good posture
Good posture is not just for catwalk models! It’s more important than you can possibly imagine, especially if you’re looking to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome. If you have a desk job and work with a computer for hours at end, your sitting position makes a big difference to your wellbeing. If you are practicing poor posture your shoulders will tend to roll forward. Your neck and shoulder muscles become shortened with your shoulders in this position, which then causes the nerves in your neck to be compressed. This then can affect your wrists, fingers, and hands.
Take this time to move your hands and wrist about, the best you can. Here’s one good exercise to try:
1. Place one arm straight out in front of you, elbow straight, with your wrist extended and fingers facing the floor.
2. Spread your fingers slightly and use your other hand to apply gentle pressure to the downward-facing hand, stretching your wrist and fingers as far as you’re able.
3. When you reach your maximum point of flexibility, hold this position for about 20 seconds.
4. Switch hands and repeat.
Make Sure You’re Not Doing Any Of The Following:
- Shoulders are tense and slouched forward
- Ears, shoulders, and hips are out of line with each other
- Buttocks and lower back do not touch the back of the chair
- The computer screen is too far below eye level
You Have Good Posture If:
- You keep your feet flat on the floor while seated
- Your head is straight and upright
- You keep your legs parallel to the floor
- Your elbows are sitting at a 90-degree angle
