Carpal Tunnel: Things that have helped...
I've been trying numerous methods short of surgery, to help with carpal tunnel. I just want to share some of the things that have really helped.
1. My desk is metal / glass, and my mouse pad is metal. These are very cold surfaces, especially since I like to keep the room temp around 65. Anyhow, this has helped significantly... Those warm fingerless gloves that you find all over for like $3.00. Get some and wear them when you are working. If you can't find those, these work pretty good also...
http://www.handeze.com/fingerless.htm
Either way, try to find some that cover your wrist also.
2. Stretching out your hands. Here are some videos to illustrate the "How"...
http://www.expertvillage.com/search....nnel+stretches
3. If you can see a doctor, try getting some lidocaine cream. Put this on after a hot shower. Apply it to your shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands.
4. Stop sleeping on your side!!!!! Force yourself to sleep on your back. This has helped significantly. When you sleep on your side, you are putting pressure and stress on your shoulders, as well as cutting off circulation to your arms and hands. Not only will this make your CTS worse, but it can lead to other (more painful) disorders.
5. Take breaks every hour or two for 15 to 30 minutes if you can.
6. Stretch out before getting to work.
7. Sit up straight at your desk, and don't lean on your elbows on a hard desk.
8. Roll your head around about 5 to 10 times each direction. I get a "crunchy" sound at the base of my neck when I do this... just keep doing it until it rolls smoothly.
9. If you have TMJ, believe it or not, this may be one of the main contributors to your pain. Teeth grinding and constant stress in the jaw, radiates down your neck, into your shoulders then down your arms. Try wearing a mouth guard when you sleep to help relieve this.
10. Exercise your arms. Push Ups, Pull Ups... whatever you can do to help build up muscle around your wrists and hands, without causing damage to the wrists. This reinforces the padding around the actual "Carpal Tunnel" and makes it less likely to collapse, causing little to no hand circulation.
11. When you take your breaks, wrinse your hands in warm to hot water for a few minutes.
That's what I've come up with so far. I do all of these now. The pain is still there, but not nearly as much (Probably about 20% of what it was). Just the gloves alone cut the pain out by about 40%. The back-sleeping another 20%.
1. My desk is metal / glass, and my mouse pad is metal. These are very cold surfaces, especially since I like to keep the room temp around 65. Anyhow, this has helped significantly... Those warm fingerless gloves that you find all over for like $3.00. Get some and wear them when you are working. If you can't find those, these work pretty good also...
http://www.handeze.com/fingerless.htm
Either way, try to find some that cover your wrist also.
2. Stretching out your hands. Here are some videos to illustrate the "How"...
http://www.expertvillage.com/search....nnel+stretches
3. If you can see a doctor, try getting some lidocaine cream. Put this on after a hot shower. Apply it to your shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands.
4. Stop sleeping on your side!!!!! Force yourself to sleep on your back. This has helped significantly. When you sleep on your side, you are putting pressure and stress on your shoulders, as well as cutting off circulation to your arms and hands. Not only will this make your CTS worse, but it can lead to other (more painful) disorders.
5. Take breaks every hour or two for 15 to 30 minutes if you can.
6. Stretch out before getting to work.
7. Sit up straight at your desk, and don't lean on your elbows on a hard desk.
8. Roll your head around about 5 to 10 times each direction. I get a "crunchy" sound at the base of my neck when I do this... just keep doing it until it rolls smoothly.
9. If you have TMJ, believe it or not, this may be one of the main contributors to your pain. Teeth grinding and constant stress in the jaw, radiates down your neck, into your shoulders then down your arms. Try wearing a mouth guard when you sleep to help relieve this.
10. Exercise your arms. Push Ups, Pull Ups... whatever you can do to help build up muscle around your wrists and hands, without causing damage to the wrists. This reinforces the padding around the actual "Carpal Tunnel" and makes it less likely to collapse, causing little to no hand circulation.
11. When you take your breaks, wrinse your hands in warm to hot water for a few minutes.
That's what I've come up with so far. I do all of these now. The pain is still there, but not nearly as much (Probably about 20% of what it was). Just the gloves alone cut the pain out by about 40%. The back-sleeping another 20%.
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