The carpal tunnel area in the hand is a long, round passageway that runs under the palm and down the wrist. The tunnel is a protection for the main nerve in the hand and tendons of the fingers. When pressure is placed on the tunnel, it results in numbness and tingling down the hand and fingers and can become very painful. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the name given to this painful condition. In addition to medication and surgery, there are hand exercises that can help to relieve the strain on the tunnel.
Nerve Gliding
Nerve gliding is an exercise that helps the nerve glide more smoothly inside the passageway. They typically are recommended early in the diagnosis of the condition, report Mayo Clinic doctors. Done improperly, nerve gliding exercises can cause more harm than good. The exercise is performed by stretching the arm with the carpal tunnel symptoms out to the side while standing or sitting. With palms facing forward, the patient should extend the wrist back gently to feel the stretch, and then release it to relax forward. The exercise should be repeated 10 times. Certified hand therapist Marji Hajic recommends gently bouncing the hand back and forth to ease the nerve and tendons into place while performing the nerve gliding procedure.
Switch Hands
Carpal tunnel syndrome is exacerbated by repetition, reports Hajic. One exercise that can help to relieve the painful symptoms and reduce the severity of the condition is to switch hands when performing an activity. People with carpal tunnel syndrome should try to operate machinery with the other hand or vary the fingers used in everyday operations such as writing or assembly line type work. Ergonomic tools with padded handles can help to relieve the pressure and provide an easier transition to the other hand. While people who are ambidextrous have an advantage, most patients can become proficient enough to relieve their symptoms for short periods of time.
Warm Ups
Doctors at the University of Oklahoma Orthopaedic and Reconstruction Research Foundation report that by doing warm up exercises prior to working, patients can avoid carpal tunnel syndrome surgery and ease painful symptoms. Spending five to 10 minutes exercising before sitting down at a keyboard proved helpful to two out of three patients involved in their studies. Patients with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome should stand and hold their arms out in front of their bodies with fingers pointed upwards and stretch as hard as possible for five seconds. Relaxing the wrist and fingers while continuing to hold the arms out should follow the stretch. The next step is to make a fist with both hands and bend the wrists down, maintaining the fists for a count of 5. The fist should be released for a count of 5 exercise repeated 10 times. Following the exercise, the patient should lower her arms and shake them at her sides for a few seconds before beginning work.
