Friday, September 11, 2009

Exercises to relief with Carpal Tunnel Symptoms

By Tom Nicholson

If you are a sufferer of carpal tunnel syndromes, then you are probably tired of the daily and constant aggravation you receive as a result of this condition. If you work in an office then you are probably distraught because it has suddenly become very difficult to do your job properly. Perhaps your production has gone way down and you feel you are in danger of actually losing your job. On top of that, you aren't sure about how to go about fixing the problem. Is it going to take weeks of rehab? Are you going to need surgery?

Most people don't take care of their hands the way they should which is surprising when you consider how important the hands are. The hands are used constantly and are necessary to be productive and complete simple tasks. For people that make their living with their hands, they are even more important. The risk of getting carpal tunnel syndrome is real and taking steps to prevent it is important.

What is carpal tunnel syndrome? Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that effects the hands, fingers and arms and is attributed to pain (and caused by) repeated motion in a job or hobby that you frequently perform. Some of these folks are typists, construction workers or even baseball players. The condition starts when the median nerve is pinched at the wrist. The median nerve runs the length of the arm and is bunched together by the transverse carpal ligament. This vital ligament can become strained and tighten itself around the wrist, thus causing the problem with the median nerve.

The symptom can be annoying or unmanageable depending on the severity and how long the condition goes untreated. Symptoms range from tingling in the fingers and hands, to numbness or burning in the forearm area. Sometimes the hands and fingers can go numb or be cold. There can even be pain and complete loss of functionality for short periods of time. Of course, this leads to back problems, neck problems, or shoulder problems do to the poor posture you may take on as you try to alleviate the stress from your wrists.

What can be done about carpal tunnel symptoms? Some people will seriously consider having surgery to lessen the symptoms and relieve the paid. However, this may be a little bit risky. Nobody know the actual end results of any kind of surgery and even a simple procedure like this can have catastrophic results if not administered properly.

A more natural alternate treatment method would be to always use good posture. Having good posture will automatically take the pressure off of the wrists and distribute it evenly across the body. Take frequent breaks that will allow stretching of the hands and wrists. Stretch your body frequently so that you are not in the same position for hours on end. Taking just a few minutes to stretch and loosen your fingers, hands, and wrists can pay big dividends down the road.

It is very hard to comprehend what it would mean to go through life without having the use of your hands. It is critical for the health of your hands to do some preventative maintenance. Taking these few simple steps can keep your hands in tip top shape.

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