How to Combat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Have you ever heard of something called carpal tunnel syndrome?? It is becoming more and more common with the increase in working from home and I’d like to chat about what it is, why it happens and what you can do to help.

The carpal tunnel is a space in your wrist that contains the median nerve and flexor tendons of the wrist and fingers. Compression of this nerve can cause numbness, tingling and weakness in the hand. It can also present as pain in the palm side of the wrist near the wrist crease.

Some of the symptoms include pain, numbness and tingling sensation in the thumb side of your palm and in all fingers except your pinky finger. If it progresses, you might also experience weakness in the thumb muscles and the muscles responsible for grip. This might translate to difficulty opening jars and dropping things frequently or feeling clumsy.

In the image below, you can see the purple as a representation of the median nerve sensation. If the nerve is being compressed you may have numbness, tingling, or weird sensations called paresthesias along the purple distribution.

The following are some of the things that can contribute to carpal tunnel:

• poor wrist support while typing

• repetitive overuse of hand and wrist (sports, work, hobbies)

• trauma or wrist fracture

• can be precipitated by diabetes, arthritis, and even pregnancy

• occupations that use the hand a lot such as industrial laborers, barbers/hair dressers, line workers, and of course any profession with computer work

Here are some of the treatment recommendations that physical therapists typically recommend in order to combat carpal tunnel syndrome and get to feeling better fast.

If you think you may have carpal tunnel syndrome, feel free to give these recommendations a try! I highly recommend an individualized approach to treating this very complex issue with a Physical Therapy Evaluation with one of our skilled PTs. Make sure to book with us today to feel your best!

Wildflower Physical Therapy & Wellness, LLC.

Indianapolis Based Physical Therapy