Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a nerve compression disorder of the wrist brought on by repetitive motion or sustained muscle force causing inflammation of the connective tissue and pressurization of the median nerve. Simply put, if you hold your hand in one unnatural position, perhaps hovering over a computer mouse or over a ten-key all day, every day, you could inflame the tendons in the wrist. This narrows the tunnel through which the median nerve travels. Symptoms can be mild or severe and they include stiffness, pain, immobility and tingling in the fingertips. Extreme cases require surgery, but proper immobilization with a brace followed by physical therapy can clear up most incidents.
Wrist Curls
Use lightweight barbells for wrist strengthening exercises. It's best to find some with a girth that allows you to grip them comfortably and naturally. Use the circle created by your thumb and forefinger as a guide. You can do wrist curls seated in an armchair as it will give you a place to support your forearm. Bend at the elbow and place your arm on the arm rest, palm up with the dumbbell in hand. Your hand should extend beyond the edge of the chair arm so it can move freely up and down. Lower your wrist to its lowest comfortable position then curl the wrist back up to its highest comfortable position. Do ten repetitions, then rest. Add another set and then a third only after your wrist begins to feel stronger.
Rubber Ball
The simple, portable rubber ball is perfect for gently exercising a sore wrist. Begin with a ball that is pliable and work up to one that offers more resistance. Squeeze the ball ten times, only hard enough to feel mild pressure in the wrist. When you are up to it, you can increase the number of repetitions or add another set of repetitions after a period of rest.
Prayer Stretch
The prayer stretch looks how it sounds. Place your palms together, fingers to the sky, in front of your chest. If you are sore from a recent diagnosis of carpal tunnel, this posture on its own may feel like exercise. As you regain your flexibility, you stretch the nerves and tendons in the tunnel more by lowering the position of your hands relative to your body and raising your elbows.
Median Nerve Gliding
Nerve gliding exercises help to improve the elasticity in the nerve fibers running through the carpal tunnel. Begin by holding your arm out at 90 degrees to your body with the palm down. Pull your fingers into a fist and squeeze slightly. Release the fingers and hold the neutral position, then using your other hand, pull back on the fingers of the hand until you meet pressure. Return to the neutral position and begin again. You can add more stretching positions like pulling the thumb back and away from the palm while your hand is extended before you return to the neutral position. Do not over stretch. You can work up to greater flexibility slowly.
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