Nine tendons and the median nerve run from your arm into the hand through a narrow passageway in the wrist called the carpal tunnel. When tissues surrounding the tendons become inflamed, they press on the median nerve and cause a condition called carpal tunnel syndrome. Hand exercises to relieve symptoms must be used cautiously because you may end up causing further damage.
Symptoms
Symptoms may occur gradually and include pain, weakness or numbness in the hand and wrist. Without proper treatment, the symptoms can progress to tingling during the day, clumsiness and weakness that makes it hard to grasp small objects or perform tasks like buttoning a shirt.
Risk Factors
Heredity plays a role in your chance of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, because smaller carpal tunnels run in families and the smaller the tunnel, the higher your chance of irritating the nerves. Any repetitive movement of the hands, such as typing, assembly line work and some sports, may cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Age and some medical conditions -- diabetes, rheumatoid and thyroid issues -- also increase your risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Treatment
When it's severe, carpal tunnel syndrome may be treated with surgery, but non-surgical options are preferred. Your physician may recommend bracing or splinting, prescribe steroids or anti-inflammatory medications, teach exercises or discuss ways to avoid activities that aggravate your symptoms.
Exercises
While moving, relaxing, stretching, massaging or shaking your hands sometimes helps improve symptoms, hand exercises usually do not permanently relieve carpal tunnel syndrome and should not replace other treatments, according to MayoClinic.com.
Nerve Gliding Exercises
Nerve gliding exercises are designed to help the median nerve move normally within the carpal tunnel space. They should be done gradually and only under the supervision of a doctor, because they can further irritate or injure the nerve, notes MayoClinic.com. HandHealthResources.com cautions you to never over-stretch while performing these two exercises. Hold your arm out to the side, slightly bent with palm forward, pull your wrist back until you feel gentle tension somewhere in your arm, then relax the wrist. Again hold your arm out and pull your wrist back until you feel tension, but this time ease the tension to about half, then gently raise your arm -- staying below shoulder height -- until you feel tension, and lower the arm to relax.
Isometric Exercises
The risk of developing carpal tunnel may be reduced by strengthening the wrists and warming up before activities with isometric exercises, according to TheStretchingHandbook.com. Make a fist with one hand and gently push down on it with the other hand, while resisting the push with the fisted hand. Repeat this exercise while keeping the palm up, turning the fist over and pushing on the knuckles, then turning the fist again so that your thumb points up. Keep your wrist straight throughout the exercises. If you experience any pain or discomfort, do not continue doing the exercises because you may worsen the condition.
