Thursday, September 24, 2009

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome massage For CTS Sufferers

By Tom Nicholson

Carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS, is a painful condition that causes numbness, weakness and intense throbbing in the fingers, hands and wrists. Many times people are unable to hold even very lightweight objects when they lose their ability to grip objects. As soon as the condition is diagnosed, a wrist brace that will correct the hands posture and relieve some of the pain is often prescribed. The brace will also prevent the condition from getting any worse. Many of the more severe cases require surgery in order to find relief. Many people have been able to forego surgery and effectively relieve the pain of CTS by using carpal tunnel massage techniques.

Though not yet widely prescribed, studies do indicate an improvement in the level of pain experienced by those who both receive regular treatment by a massage therapist and who practice self-massage techniques at home, preferably just before bedtime when the pain of carpal tunnel is often known to intensify. In one particular study, people with carpal tunnel syndrome were split into two test groups. One group received massage therapy and self-administered carpal tunnel massage techniques at home. After just one month of the study, those in the carpal tunnel massage group reported improvements in the strength of their grip, in their levels of pain and showed loser signs of depression, which is often caused by the debilitating pain of carpal tunnel syndrome. Of the group who did not participate in regular massages, no such improvements were noted. More research is needed before the medical community will begin to offer this option to their patients, but this preliminary study, along with other sufferers who have reported similar results, strongly suggests that relief from the pain and impairment of this condition is entirely possible with carpal tunnel massage.

The self massage techniques are simply. The person should rub the forearm using pressurizes, short stokes that last 2 - 3 seconds each. The same strokes should be done on the palms with strokes that are slightly lighter applied to the area of the wrist. Carpal tunnel massage should be done at least one and day, more often if necessary. After doing the massage therapy for 2 - 3 weeks, a person can expect a reduction in the pain. By continuing this course of treatment for several months is may be possible to entirely reverse the condition.

Carpal tunnel can also be caused by shoulder, back and neck stress. It is very helpful to get regular massages that concentrate on these areas. If a person has been fortunate enough to have avoided developing the condition, this will go a long way to prevent the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome. People that do tasks that require repetitive movements should have regular massages since they are at a higher risk than some others for developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Exercises that require stretching, resistance and squeezing of the hands, wrists, fingers, and arms, can be very helpful. By regularly using a stress ball to help with squeezing and resistance, or using range of motion exercise that slowly rotate wrists and stretch fingers, blood can begin to properly circulate in the damaged region and give relief to swelling and pressure on the median nerve located in the wrist's carpal tunnel.

Those who have been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and who are already wearing a brace to try to correct the disorder are advised to continue with this method. However, daily carpal tunnel massages and helpful exercises can increase chances of recovery and decrease the necessity of surgery, as well as decrease the chances of further damage to the carpal tunnel.

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