Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief Now

Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief & Massage for Your Hands

If you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome--or pain in your hand and wrist--hand massage can help get the circulation moving.  This little video demonstrates how to massage your palm.  It helps relax the tight muscles in your hand and makes a little more space in your carpal tunnel.  This may help you feel better.

(Your carpal tunnel is an opening in your wrist that nerves and blood vessels pass through.  When there is swelling in your carpal tunnel, you can get symptoms of numbness, tingling and pain in your hand.)

You may find that you can massage one of your own hands with your other hand depending on your symptoms.  Adjust the pressure to your comfort level.  If bending your hand backward increases your symptoms, keep your wrist straight as you massage or are being massaged.

Your wrists are not the cause of your symptoms (unless you had a compression or bone-breaking injury.)  Your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by the muscles of your lower or upper arm, your chest muscles, your back, your neck muscles, trigger points, or vitamin deficiencies.  You can find more information on all of these here at Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief Now.

Even so, this type of hand massage can help you feel better while you figure out the causes and get rid of them.

Yoga Stretch for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Yoga is very beneficial for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome although there are some movements that could cause your wrists to be aggravated. 

The yoga stretch in this little video is good.  Why?  Because it shows you how to stretch and open the muscles in your chest and the front of your arms.  This takes a lot of pressure off the nerves and blood vessels that cause your carpal tunnel symptoms.

At the same time, this movement can also help you strengthen the muscles in your back.  Having a strong back is very beneficial.

NOTICE:  The model's head is held OVER her body.  She is not allowing it to move forward.  This is good.  You want to do the same--hold your head over your body--so be aware and make corrections.

If this movement seems too much for you at first, don't give up.  Just practice taking your arms as far as it feels like a reasonably comfortable stretch.  In time, your muscles will become able to do this with more comfort.

Arm Movements to Relax Your Shoulder Muscles and Reduce Carpal Tunnel Symptoms

I created this video to help you loosen and relax your shoulders.  When you move your arms in this way, you are using ALL of the muscles in your arms and upper back that are attached to your shoulders.  These are the same muscles that can cause Carpal Tunnel symptoms.

If it feels like too much to do the full movements at first, take it gradually and start slowly.  Over time, your muscles will begin to stretch and remember how they used to move and how they were designed to move.

Just do the movements as best you can.  You have a smart body and it wants to be well.  It just needs a little help from you.  

Carpal Tunnel Pain and Your Legs--What's the Connection?

If you have carpal tunnel syndrome you might like to know the connection between your legs and your wrists.  There really is one!

Posture that is collapsing--"forward head"posture--causes carpal tunnel syndrome.  How?  Because it puts pressure on the muscles, blood vessels and nerves that "feed" your arm and hand.  It also strains the muscles in your upper back which can refer pain into your hand and wrist--your carpal tunnel area.

"Poor" posture also causes a lot of strain and muscle imbalance in your legs.  Stand for about 5 minutes and then pay attention to your feet.  If you notice that

Help Your Carpal Tunnel Symptoms with Vitamins and Minerals

Carpal Tunnel symptoms happen for reasons.  The reason could be because of muscle strain--muscle overuse, under use or incorrect use.  Or your symptoms could be caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies or "insufficiencies."

A deficiency is more severe but an insufficiency (not enough) can also cause symptoms.  Why?

Because there are nutrients that your body needs.  If your body doesn't get the nutritional things that it requires, you will have one type of disease or another.

Calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron are major minerals that are required for muscle health and function.  If you don't have enough, it increases the irritability of myofascial trigger points. 

Calcium is essential (necessary) to the muscles so they can do their best job.  Magnesium and potassium are also essential because they interact with calcium and are related to muscle health and contraction.

All of the parts of your body work together.  So do all the vitamins.  So do all the minerals.

If you take calcium, but don't take

Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Caused by Lack of Calcium or Vitamin D?

Does lack of calcium cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?  I was asked this very good question by a reader.

I wasn't aware that a lack of calcium can specifically cause CTS.  But I did know that many minerals work together with calcium; it's not only calcium that we need. 

According to Drs. Travell and Simons MD's, Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction, The Trigger Point Manual, Vol. 1, Second Edition, "Several minerals, especially iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, are needed for normal muscle function."

So if you want to help your carpal tunnel symptoms heal and your muscles to function normally, give them what they need.  You have a smart body but it needs a little help from you to get better.

If you have a deficiency in calcium, you can only correct it by

Carpal Tunnel Pain Improves With Stretching!

Your body was designed to function best when you do certain things.  When you do those things--like stretching--you can start to get rid of your carpal tunnel symptoms.

Readers often write just to let me know they're doing better.  And sometimes they have questions.  Either way, I love getting questions and comments.  It helps me do my job better.

My job is (1) to help you understand how your body works and (2) to provide you with self-help information you can use to get rid of your carpal tunnel symptoms naturally. 

Here's a nice e-mail I received.  I wrote a nice e-mail back.  You'll see it below.

Thank you so much for all the information you sent me on carpal tunnel. You have been a great help!  I have been doing some stretching and i have noticed a bit of relief..i haven't yet read everything you sent me as i am a very busy grandmother and lately i don't get much time to myself,but i do try and read a bit every day.Through your information i am understanding a lot more, i was in so much pain lately that i thought surgery was my only option.
I have a lot of pain in my upper back,neck as well as in my lower back and down the side of my legs almost like a pulling pain.
Realizing now how much its all connected and how stretching relieves the pain,i will try and keep up the stretching.
Thank you so much again, you were like an answer to my prayer...

Don't you love it?  She took action!  I'm always so proud of someone when I know

Carpal Tunnel Symptoms Get Better When You Take A Break!

One of the reasons we get things like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is because our muscles get stuck.  Literally.  Stuck.

We were designed to move but sometimes we forget to move.  Taking lots of breaks to move and stretch in the opposite way of the way you usually move can help your carpal tunnel symptoms.

This is a guest post from my friend Gini Maddocks of Holistic Matters.com.  This is one of Gini's UpLifts Holistic Exercises.  They're good for your body and your mind!

Do you take breaks during
your busy day?

You should.

Research shows that the human brain is more efficient when allowed to rest in intervals.

Try this:
Turn on upbeat, familiar music--the kind you like to dance to.

Now let yourself relax into the groove,
changing your focus to let your self MOVE.

It doesn't have to be much to release tension through movement:  a little swaying... some foot tapping... nod your head, jiggle to the beat or close the door to rock and roll.

Studies reveal that even "imagining movement" offers good benefit via your nervous system.  So, close your eyes and give it a try.

 Break dancing, the new rage in wellness!

Isn't that cute?  "Break" dancing.  Break dancing will help you start to get rid of your carpal tunnel pain.