5 Exercises To Relieve Pain In The Carpal Tunnel

Did you know that both stretching and applying heat to the affected area can help you relieve pain in the carpal tunnel?

Carpal tunnel pain can have various causes. Repeated movements of the wrist, such as those found when using the computer mouse too often, can cause this painful inflammation.

In our article, we’ll share five exercises designed to help relieve pain in the carpal tunnel  . We can use them to prevent and relieve inflammation before it becomes chronic.

You can also be examined by your doctor, who will make a professional diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment for you.

How does pain in the carpal tunnel come about?

The cause of the complaints are often the sum of various factors:

• Repeated movements or postures with the hand or wrist. For example, when we operate an apparatus, learn a musical instrument, use the computer mouse or the cell phone.
• Tension or stiffness in the joints and tendons.
• The genetic predisposition to develop inflammation or inflammation caused by accidents, etc.
• Improper diet : too much white sugar, unhealthy fats, etc.

Exercises for pain in the carpal tunnel

Stretching exercises before, during and after

If we know that the pain in the carpal tunnel is caused by repetitive movements, we need to do the appropriate stretching exercises daily . This should be done throughout the day, preferably before, during, and after we move the wrists.

In the most important stretching exercise, we extend the arm horizontally and raise the hand at a right angle. It’s a bit like the “stop” gesture.

We feel tension in our hands and wrists.

2. Mobility and prior warm-up

After stretching the tendons, we should warm them up a little to avoid stiffness. We do this by making gentle movements in all possible directions that our hand and wrist allow.

We rotate the wrists in a circle in both directions for about 1 minute. We should make sure to draw the circles nice and big. When there is inflammation, freedom of movement is usually somewhat restricted.

3. Warm massages

When treating acute bruise inflammation, we usually use cold temperatures to relieve it.

However, if the inflammation is chronic, warmth is recommended more often. This can also be used to treat pain in the carpal tunnel.

A very pleasant treatment for this is a massage or self-massage of the wrists, which we can do in the morning and in the evening.

We recommend using olive or sesame oil and if you like, you can add a few drops of ginger or cinnamon essential oil.

You will feel the warmth immediately.

4. Alternating baths

Contrast baths are another way of giving us warmth as they stimulate blood circulation. This technique, which has long been used in one way or another, can also be used to relieve inflammation and pain.

How do you do contrast baths?

• Two vessels are used for this. One for hot and the other for cold water.
• Then we put our hands and arms up to the elbows in the warm water for 30 seconds and in the cold water for 15 seconds.
• We carry out this process for at least 3 minutes and then repeat it several times a day.
• You can reduce the repetition as the pain eases.

5. Pressure balls

Physiotherapists often use so-called pressure balls in their treatments. Squeezing a rubber or foam ball with your hand strengthens the muscles and tendons that cross the carpal tunnel.

The further we regain strength and mobility in the zone, the more resilient the balls can be. In this way, we also train the muscles of our fingers and the typical stiffness that accompanies pain in the carpal tunnel is reduced.

Incidentally, these crush balls also work wonderfully against stress. This shows us that our nervous system is able to transmit tension to the hands and fingers.

So it is important to look around for everyday relaxation !