Effective and Easy Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Exercises
Carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS is a problem that affects the muscle of the lower palm and the wrist. In this situation, the person has numbness in their wrist and palms along with a tingling and burning sensation. You can also experience pain during this ailment. This is an ailment that must be treated with effective care and medical attention. Otherwise, the muscle of the lower palm could get severely damaged.
Investigations and researchers have clearly identified the fact that along with medication, regular and proper exercises can also help prevent and treat the symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. This article will highlight the various carpal tunnel syndrome exercises that you can follow to fight this ailment and lead a healthy life.
Some Effective Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Exercise Variations
Doctors claim that all sorts of stretching exercises can be very useful for the muscles of the wrists and the arms in general. Such stretching of muscles can be highly useful for preventing carpal tunnel syndrome. We will now take a look at the different forms of carpal tunnel syndrome exercises :
- Warm-Up Stretch
This is the exercise that you need to start and should be done at the very beginning. In this exercise, you have to rotate the wrists up and down and also sway it from one side to another. You need to repeat this at least 4 times. Then you need to attend to your fingers. You need to keep your fingers relaxed and also keep them apart. Then, you can do the stretching again. You can do this exercise in a set of four repetitions. At the end of it, you can relax your thumb muscles by stretching it as far as possible in the reverse direction and then holding it in that position for a while. Then release your thumb. Repeat this for at least four times. - Prayer Stretch
This is the next step of your exercise regime. In this exercise, you need to begin by joining your palms and placing them on the front. The palms must be folded and must be placed just below the chin. Hold this position and then move both the arms down, together. The palms are to be put close to each other and moved in this manner. Continue doing this, till you sense a moderate pull in your forearms. Maintain this position for thirty seconds. This exercise can be repeated four times till you get relieved. - Wrist Flexor Stretch
In this exercise, the muscles of your wrists are targeted. In the beginning, you need to stretch your hands in front of you and keep your palms up. Then you need to bow your wrist below and try to bring it down further till you sense a mild stretch in the forearm. This position must be maintained for twenty seconds and not more. This exercise must be repeated for at least four times as well. - Wrist Extensor Stretch
This exercise is similar to the previous one. However, the direction of the palm must be in the opposite direction. In other words, the movements will be similar to a pattern but this time, you need to point your palm towards the floor. It must be in the direction of the floor and the hand must be held in the same direction for at least fifteen seconds and then released. Do this exercise four times.
You need to remember the fact that warm-up exercises happen to be very important for a proper foundation that will help you get the best advantages out of the different carpal tunnel syndrome exercises, and the same holds true in the cases of all kinds of sports activities. This prepares your muscles to do the actual exercises without any barriers. It will also ensure better flexibility and make the entire process easier for you.
It is not mandatory that you must visit a good and expensive physiotherapist to know the various carpal tunnel syndrome exercises. Certain simple exercises could be practiced at home so that you can get rid of the pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. You can check online videos too and learn these exercises. Simple exercises such as this exercise in which you need to shake your hands in a similar manner the way you shake off water after washing our hands for drying them can be useful too. If the pain persists and gets severe in time, then you should consult a trusted doctor for the same.
Finally, it can be said that if exercises fail to make a significant impact, you can always take the help of medicines and that of injections or surgery for respite. However, before opting for any of these, make sure to consult an expert physician.