Pregnancy comes with a whole host of uncomfortable physical symptoms that result from the way your body changes during the gestation period and the pressure a developing baby puts on your system. One common pregnancy complaint is carpal tunnel. There are some natural remedies and vitamins you can use to reduce your symptoms, but talk to your physician before using any such treatment for carpal tunnel.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
According to PubMed Health, carpal tunnel syndrome results from pressure on a nerve running through your hand -- the median nerve, specifically. This results in numbness and tingling, and may even lead to weakness in your hand. Over time, unchecked symptoms of carpal tunnel can cause damage to the muscles in the hand. Carpal tunnel occurs frequently in individuals who use their hands to perform repetitive motions, especially if these motions are small in nature. For instance, if your job requires lots of typing, you're susceptible to carpal tunnel.
Carpal Tunnel and Pregnancy
Pregnant women are especially susceptible to carpal tunnel, due to the retained fluid that builds up in your body when you're pregnant. Starting in the second trimester, you have a much greater volume of blood flowing through your body than you normally do, explain Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel in their book, "What To Expect When You're Expecting." This helps to provide your developing baby with oxygen and nutrients, but it also increases the fluid pressure in your tissues, which can put pressure on the median nerve and result in carpal tunnel.
Vitamins and Foods
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center's website for complementary and alternative medicine, there are a few things you can try if you're experiencing carpal tunnel during pregnancy. You should check with your obstetrician before trying any of them, however, to discuss the specifics of your situation. They note that vitamin supplements -- especially B vitamins -- can help with symptoms by preventing nutritional deficiencies. They also recommend eating foods high in antioxidants, like fruits and vegetables.
Natural Treatments
There are also some lifestyle measures you can take to help reduce your symptoms of carpal tunnel. For instance, sleeping with your affected hand or hands in a brace can help prevent you from bending your wrist at night, which exacerbates symptoms. You can also try sleeping with your hand or hands elevated, by propping them on pillows. If you have severe carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms, be sure to ask your obstetrician for additional suggestions on ways to alleviate your discomfort.
References
- PubMed Health: Carpal Tunnel
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Carpal Tunnel
