Many people who get carpal tunnel syndrome are diagnosed as having it caused by work tasks. Careers that require repetitive hand use for hours and hours can bring on CTS. If you find that you are getting this painful and possibly debilitating condition from work, there are preventive measures that you can take that may relieve your symptoms.
Start by cutting back on the routine tasks that go hand in hand with carpal tunnel syndrome. If possible, avoid using that hand for anything, save when absolutely necessary; and this should last for at least a few days, and a week or more is strongly recommended. The aim is to release the pressure on swollen tendon sheathes, which are the root cause of the problem. If your dominant hand is the one with the wounded wrist, this can be something of a challenge.
For people who get carpal tunnel syndrome from keyboarding, there are a number of ergonomic changes you can make to your workspace. First, switch from a mouse to a trackball. More physical rehabilitation costs are incurred from using mice than any other piece of office equipment, starting from swollen bursa sacks in the elbow to tendonitis in the shoulder to carpal tunnel syndrome on the wrist. Other things to do include making your keyboard sit at the same height as the arm rests on your chairs, so that your elbows are at the same height as your wrist when you type. Ergonomic keyboards are also wrist savers, as are wrist pads at the base of the keyboard.
About every hour or so, give yourself a 10-minute break (make sure your manager understands why you have to do this). Get up from your task and just walk about and maybe shake out your wounded wrist. This helps prevent you from pushing yourself too hard and maybe causing more harm to your wrist. You should also massage your wrist and hand. You should do this at lunch time, at home, and whenever you get a chance. This helps with blood circulation, which can possibly help heal the swollen joints and tissues that are putting the pressure on the median nerve.
At night when you sleep, you should try wearing a splint of some kind to prevent any wrist movement that could cause more irritation or inflammation. Do this for up to two weeks and see what your results are. Some people with CTS find it helpful to hang their hand over the edge of the bed while they sleep. This can relieve pressure. At home when you are awake, use something like Icy Hot on the injured wrist, or just use alternating applications of heat and cold.
These work-related preventive measures work well for some people, but there are other things that you can try. Specially developed CTS exercises are non-invasive and drug free. They don't involve immobilization. They are designed to be used to strengthen the hand and wrist so that CTS symptoms fade away and future possibilities of getting carpal tunnel syndrome are prevented. It is likely that these will be even more effective for you.
Start by cutting back on the routine tasks that go hand in hand with carpal tunnel syndrome. If possible, avoid using that hand for anything, save when absolutely necessary; and this should last for at least a few days, and a week or more is strongly recommended. The aim is to release the pressure on swollen tendon sheathes, which are the root cause of the problem. If your dominant hand is the one with the wounded wrist, this can be something of a challenge.
For people who get carpal tunnel syndrome from keyboarding, there are a number of ergonomic changes you can make to your workspace. First, switch from a mouse to a trackball. More physical rehabilitation costs are incurred from using mice than any other piece of office equipment, starting from swollen bursa sacks in the elbow to tendonitis in the shoulder to carpal tunnel syndrome on the wrist. Other things to do include making your keyboard sit at the same height as the arm rests on your chairs, so that your elbows are at the same height as your wrist when you type. Ergonomic keyboards are also wrist savers, as are wrist pads at the base of the keyboard.
About every hour or so, give yourself a 10-minute break (make sure your manager understands why you have to do this). Get up from your task and just walk about and maybe shake out your wounded wrist. This helps prevent you from pushing yourself too hard and maybe causing more harm to your wrist. You should also massage your wrist and hand. You should do this at lunch time, at home, and whenever you get a chance. This helps with blood circulation, which can possibly help heal the swollen joints and tissues that are putting the pressure on the median nerve.
At night when you sleep, you should try wearing a splint of some kind to prevent any wrist movement that could cause more irritation or inflammation. Do this for up to two weeks and see what your results are. Some people with CTS find it helpful to hang their hand over the edge of the bed while they sleep. This can relieve pressure. At home when you are awake, use something like Icy Hot on the injured wrist, or just use alternating applications of heat and cold.
These work-related preventive measures work well for some people, but there are other things that you can try. Specially developed CTS exercises are non-invasive and drug free. They don't involve immobilization. They are designed to be used to strengthen the hand and wrist so that CTS symptoms fade away and future possibilities of getting carpal tunnel syndrome are prevented. It is likely that these will be even more effective for you.
About the Author:
Tom Nicholson has been teaching those who suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome find easy, effective methods of treatment for years. Let him show you some basic carpal tunnel exercises that can ease your painful symptoms. Learn what so many people have already learned - treatment doesn't have to be invasive or costly to work!
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