The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or CTS can range from being mild to severe. It can be treater by appropriate treatment to restore the function in the hand and wrist to relieve the symptoms. In this article, we are going to discuss some carpal tunnel therapy methods to help you with your pain.

 

What is the Carpal tunnel?

 

The carpal tunnel is actually a very narrow passageway which runs from your wrist to the hand on the palm side of the wrist. It’s structure consists of ligaments, bones and tendons. The Median nerve passes through this tunnel.

 

Carpal tunnel syndrome causes numbness, tingling, dull aching in the arm or hand and thumb weakness. This happens when the median nerve is compressed or pinched. In Us, it affects 4 to 10 million people each year and a severe case of CTS might require surgery too.

 

Lifestyle changes to battle Carpal tunnel syndrome

 

The given measures are some lifestyle changes which will help you control and decrease the symptoms of the carpal tunnel at home

 

  • You should not do repetitive hand movements wherever possible
  • Stopping hand movements whenever you feel discomfort or pain on your hands or wrists.
  • If you have to do repetitive hand activities, then take frequent breaks from it
  • Always try to keep the wrist in a neutral position without extending it too far up or flexing it too far down.
  • While lifting heavy objects, use your shoulders more than the wrist.
  • Do not hold objects in the same way for long periods
  • Avoid vibrating tools like a jackhammer
  • During simple actions like writing, relax your grip often and do not sleep on your hand or in a way which keeps your hand folded or bent.
  • Research has shown that mild but regular exercises may help to protect against mild CTS

 

These are some lifestyle changes which are considered as carpal tunnel therapy and the following are some home remedies which will help your CTS

 

  • Try to rest your hand and wrist for a time period of 2 weeks
  • Use Anti-vibration products with vibrating tools
  • Always wear a wrist splint or rest the median nerve frequently
  • Do gentle but regular finger, hand and wrist stretching exercises.
  • Massage your hand, wrists and your palm too
  • Wear work gloves to protect your wrists and hand
  • Apply heat to the wrist area to reduce pain
  • Apply an ice pack to reduce the swelling
  • Keep the utensils with extra material for a comfortable grip.
  • Medication such as ibuprofen or naproxen can help with the pain. They are over the counter or OTC pain medication.
  • You should take medication when it is the last resort as the side effects include gut problems and bleeding.

 

The above lifestyle changes and home remedies can help you control your CTS and apart from these, there is evidence of Yoga Stretching and strengthening exercises can reduce the pain. Ultrasound can also be an option to reduce the pain in your hands but it is mostly used for severe cases. Hence if you have CTS, you can still recover from it and there are many medications and ways to help you do so without surgery.