This story may sound familiar to you: you’re working at your desk, as usual, but this day something feels different. You are trying to ignore (as usual) the tingling or numbness you’ve been feeling in your hand and wrist for some time. You may think:” it’s a cramp”, but suddenly, a sharp stabbing pain shoots from your wrist up your arm. And now, you have no idea what is happening to you. Let me tell you, my friend, that it looks most likely that you have Carpal Tunnel syndrome.
What is Carpal Tunnel syndrome?
As you may notice in the story, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) has a nasty habit of creeping up on you very slowly. It often takes people by surprise and can not only be very frustrating, but in some cases, quite devastating.
It is caused by the compression of the median nerve. The median nerve is partially responsible for controlling the sensations and movement in your hands.
The median nerve and several tendons run from your forearm to your hand through a small space in your wrist called the carpal tunnel (hence the name!).
The compression of the nerve comes from a cumulative effect of seemingly insignificant stresses that accumulate over time. At some point, often very suddenly, they cause intense nerve reactions.
Symptoms
These symptoms often start slowly and come and go. They’re usually worse at night, some of them are:
- pain in fingers, hand or arm.
- numbness in your hands and fingers.
- tingling.
- weakness in your thumb.
- unpleasant feeling of pins and needles.
- difficulty while trying to grip something.
Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome the same as Repetitive Stress Injury?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is an injury that can result from Repetitive Stress Injuries(RSI). In other words, RSI is the cause and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the effect.
The first signs that you have it are tingling, and sometimes numbness in the hands and fingers. Sometimes it comes on more quickly and you start to feel pain straight away.
At other times it will manifest as a dull ache in your forearm or hand, or an unpleasant feeling of pins and needles.
How to treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome at home
- Never ignore signs. Don’t treat it as just an inconvenience. Even if the symptoms feel relatively mild, you must be aware that it can escalate very quickly. The sooner you start remedying it the better.
2. Stop the activities that are exacerbating it. Typically this will be either excessive typing or use of your worktop mouse. If It is possible, use your non-dominant hand to control your mouse – it’s tricky at first – but you will get used to it sooner than you think. This will give your dominant hand a much needed rest.
3. Ice the inflamed area. If your symptoms are quite strong, consider icing your wrist for 10 to 15 minutes 1 or 2 times an hour.
4. Consider taking anti-inflammatories to relieve the pain and swelling.
5. Think about wearing a splint for your wrist at night. This may help to take pressure off your median nerve.
6. And of course, seek further medical advice if necessary.
How can massage help Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Massage helps by:
- promoting circulation,
- relieving inflammation,
- helping to remove metabolic residues,
- and soothing the irritated muscles and tendons.
- It may not offer a complete cure, but it can be instrumental in the recovery process.
In addition to massage, you should learn different kinds of stretches and exercises to strengthen your wrist, hands and arms (we advise you how) to avoid future injuries .
Finally, once your recovery is almost complete, be sure to understand good posture and the correct techniques for using a mouse and keyboard, to prevent any further damage in the future.
We hope this information is useful for you. If you have any questions about our treatments, please contact us. You can find us 3 mins away from Angel station in Islington. If you like this blog, please share!
We are always happy to help!
