Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief Now

Contrast Heat and Ice Therapy for Hand and Wrist Pain Relief

Muscles in your hand and arm respond very well to heat and ice therapy.  Why?

Applications of heat fill the tissues with blood and increase circulation.  Short applications of ice also increase circulation.  This is all good!

But longer applications of cold by itself reduce the flow of blood to the area so keep application of cold in an area to less than one minute.  (Water Therapy, Leon Chaitow MD)

So what is contrast therapy?

Contrast therapy means taking turns applying heat/hot and cold/ice and it helps in several ways.  It increase circulation in areas of tight muscle, increases oxygen supply to the soft tissues and improves drainage to reduce inflammation (swelling.)  Dr. Chaitow suggests finishing with cold in most instances.

Heat increases blood flow to tight muscles and cold reduces inflammation.  But sometimes you don't have to decide.  Sometimes you can use both!

Here's how to use contrast therapy:

You can alternate hot packs and cold packs.  You might use

Benefits of Ice for Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief

Does ice therapy help more than heat? 

This is what my friend Bette Dowdell from Too Pooped To Participate has to say about ice.  She has grown to love it and here's why:

Bette:

Muscle problems tend to accompany endocrine issues, especially adrenal glands that can’t or won’t keep up.

Our muscles get inflamed and “knotted up,” worse on some days than others.

Accupressure massage helps, but few therapists do it right. Several therapists have had at my back. Some felt like they were tickling me; some bruised my muscles and left me sore for days. Only one, Glenn Kippes, the physical therapist who treated me when I lived in Tucson, made a real difference. He’s a magician, but most aren’t.

Doctors usually advise hot baths–the exact wrong thing to do. Heat just inflames muscles all the more.

I know, I know. Heat feels really good. Problem is, all the while it’s feeling good, it's making things worse.

Answer me this: A half hour or so after you get out of a hot bath or the Jacuzzi, are your muscles better or worse? And how much progress have you made with your muscle pain since you started treating yourself with heat?

A lot of people, especially men and senior citizens for some reason, won’t even consider giving up hot soaks, fully persuaded that some day they’ll work, and all the pain will disappear. It reminds me of when my kid brother was very young and liked to watch the same movie over and over–in case the ending changed.

The answer? Ice. Sheesh! Even in the Phoenix

Your Carpal Tunnel Area Can Heal!

Carpal tunnel pain relief?  You bet!  Your carpal tunnel can heal.  Your symptoms can go away. 

Your body is very smart and is very capable of healing.  Sometimes you just need to understand WHY you have carpal tunnel symptoms and WHAT to do to get rid of them.

Last summer I tripped and when I caught myself on my hand, I jammed my wrist, elbow and shoulder badly.  I knew nothing broke, but there was a lot of trauma. 

I was careful to keep my muscles open (long) so they wouldn't shorten and seize up.  I took anti-inflammatories a few times (Aleve) and I iced all of the areas I thought were involved many times to reduce the swelling.

After everything settled down a bit, during the second and third weeks, I had two different massage therapists treat all of the muscles from my chest and shoulder to my hand.  It was absolutely amazing all of the tight and tender areas they each found! 

I also did a lot of self-massage, drank plenty of water, took my vitamin & mineral supplements and ate healthy.  (Those last 4 things are part of my "health insurance policy.")

While I couldn't use that hand or type for several weeks, at the end of the 6 week healing period, it was back to normal.  I knew it would be.  I actually told my body that it would be healed by then. (We can talk to our bodies.)

There were a couple of very little "pops" when I stretched my arm on the day that marked my "six week anniversary" and that was that.

Your carpal tunnel symptoms happened for a reason.  Everything happens for a reason.  You can discover the reasons here.

And, your body needs certain things to help it heal.  You can find out what they are here at Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief and other good places.  Just check the categories.  You can find out what to do about them, too. 

And, yes, you can have carpal tunnel pain relief.

Does Heat Therapy Reduce Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you may have wondered how to use heat to help reduce your pain.

If you apply heat to an area, it increases blood flow. 

This is a good thing, because tight muscles cause pain and other symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.  The increased blood flow relaxes those muscles.

There is just one thing to know:  While the increased blood flow is good for healing, sometimes it can cause additional swelling.  That isn't good.

As a rule, you can tell yourself whether applying heat is making you feel better or worse. 

If your carpal tunnel symptoms feel worse after using heat, then it is not the appropriate treatment for your carpal tunnel discomfort.  Instead, switch to ice or cold therapy.

If your symptoms are less, and you feel better after using heat, then it is a good therapy for you to use.

How do you apply heat for your carpal tunnel syndrome?

Moist heat seems to go more deeply into your muscles than dry heat. 

Soak a towel in very hot water and wring it out.  Or, wet, wring out and heat a towel in a microwave oven (be careful--the towel can get really, really hot in a microwave.)  If you wrap the hot pack in plastic, it will stay hot longer because air can't get to it.

Moist heating pads that use electricity are available at stores.

Apply the heat directly to your skin or

Does Ice Therapy Help Reduce Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal tunnel pain can be treated both with ice (or cold) therapy and with heat.

There are therapists who believe that ice is often the better treatment for carpal tunnel pain.  Ice helps relieve pain and inflammation (swelling and irritation in your tissues.) 

Ice slows the blood flow while it acts as a pain reducer with no side effects.

Heat, however, increases the blood flow and so relieves pain by relaxing the muscles.  Heat is especially useful with long-standing or chronic carpal tunnel pain (pain you have had for a long time.)

Ice, however, is used for carpal tunnel pain that has just started recently, or for a new injury, or for new treatment. 

The recommendation to use ice is generally for the first 48 hours, but the inflammatory stage can last up to 5 days.  So, it is okay to use ice or cold therapy for the first 5 days after you start using it.

After that, you can alternate between cold therapy and heat therapy. 

Some people don't like to use ice or cold.  They find it too uncomfortable. 

And, in some cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, ice may not be the best treatment. 

People who have impaired blood flow could get worse symptoms by using ice.  People with certain vascular (blood) diseases that affect the circulation in their hands and arms should not use ice.  People with Reynaud's syndrome, who often have cold hands, should not use ice for their carpal tunnel pain.

How can you use ice or cold therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome?

1. You can put ice chips in a plastic baggie.  Use a zip-lock baggie or a twist tie to close the baggie tightly.  You can put the baggie directly on your skin or put a thin layer (or 2) of fabric between the bag and your skin.  Keep an eye on your skin for any sign of irritation.  If you see redness or discoloration, stop that session.  You can go back to it later.  Otherwise, keep the ice pack on for 20 to 30 minutes maximum.
2. You can use a gel cold pack.  It's not quite as cold as ice chips, but you still might feel more comfortable with some thin cloth between your skin and it.  Again, 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Ice massage is another option.  Freeze water in Styrofoam cups or paper cups.  When you are ready to use one, just tear off some of the lip of the cup to expose the ice.  Hold the cup with your opposite hand (use a cloth or rubber holder if it's too cold.)  Rub the ice in small circles on the area that needs