Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief Now

Who Gets Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Why do you have carpal tunnel pain?  Who gets Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?  More importantly, how can you get rid of your symptoms?

"Symptoms" = pain, numbness, tingling, headaches, etc.
"Syndromes" = a collection or bunch of symptoms.

Apparently, occupations that require a lot of certain hand, arm or body positions suffer the most.  Those jobs include:

Plumbers
Computer repair people
Carpenters
Line workers in factories
Farm workers
Moms
Gardeners
And more!

Jobs that jar or jam the hand or use vibrating tools or require holding arms or hands in one position for long periods can aggravate the muscles around the wrist and cause symptoms in the carpal tunnel area.  Doing

Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Caused by Gardening? Tips to Avoid Wrist & Hand Pain in the Garden

Can Carpal Tunnel Syndrome be caused by something as enjoyable as gardening?

Well, first a little history.  A "syndrome" is a collection of symptoms.  "Symptoms" are the pain, numbness, weakness or tingling you feel in your hand and arm.

There are a lot of muscles that can cause symptoms in your hand, fingers and arms.  And, what do we use when we garden?  Yup!  Muscles!

So, it's possible that you could actually get a diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome caused by gardening.  But the good news is:  If gardening is what's causing your symptoms that means muscles are involved.  Muscles are treatable!  (I love muscles!)

And, it's not just the muscles around your carpal tunnel either!  Your symptoms can come from your upper back, chest and neck, too.

If you scroll over to the "Categories" and look through the articles in the "Self-Help" and "Massage" and "Causes" Categories you will find lots of helpful articles.

And here are some tips to prevent hand, wrist and arm pain while you're gardening:

1.  Pull weeds

Gardener Hikes Shoulder--Can She Have Relief From Pain & Loss Of Strength?

Does gardening cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?  Probably not but it can cause pain and numbness in your hand and arm and a lot of the same self-care techniques will help get rid of your symptoms.

Here's a letter I got from a gardener:

"I'm a right-handed gardener. I grasp various hand tools, I shovel, I pull weeds. Those arm/wrist actions have wreaked havoc on my arm starting with a raised right shoulder blade, pain in the notch of my right elbow with certain movements, soreness of the what could be a lower arm muscle muscle and top of the wrist/hand aching. Basically, I've lost strength with grasping and the strength of my right arm. My right hand/fingers occasionally swell. Having all that said, I don't think I have what I first thought was CTS.

Any other possible indicators as to what's going on and if so, any recommendations for self help pain relief?"

She also commended me for all the resources "you have available to help keep us tuned in and for the encouragement."  I just had to tell you that part because it's so sweet. :-)

Here's what I told the gardener:

You have really done a great job of diagnosing the cause of your symptoms.  You know exactly

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Can Be Helped By Brief Movement

Carpal tunnel syndrome often has the same starting point as other repetitive stress injuries.

And, if you are tired of your carpal tunnel discomfort, there is hope for you.  There are simple movements to relieve your carpal tunnel issue.

What about all of the time it takes to do these "simple, easy movements?"

Even if you are worried about following lots of daily stretches and exercises, there is hope for you.

Releasing your carpal tunnel pain and discomfort will take some effort and time, that is true.

But, you are the one having the carpal tunnel syndrome, and so you are the one who has to take care of it.  You have to be your own best physician.

Even though you might use the positions which cause your carpal tunnel discomfort for several hours a day, just a little bit of effort will help you relieve your carpal tunnel pain.

Helping your muscles get back into balance is our goal.  Movement will accomplish that and will get you out of carpal tunnel pain.

How much effort and time will it take?

A good starting point might be 10 minutes

Simple Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief - 5 Easy Moves For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Maybe you have a doctor's diagnosis that you have carpal tunnel syndrome.  Or, maybe you don't have an official diagnosis yet.

But, you know for sure that you have do pain in your wrist, hand or arm, or even all three.  Is it carpal tunnel syndrome?  Maybe.

Or, maybe you have repetitive strain injury.  Or, maybe what you really have is...regular, old, complaining muscles.

Regardless of what it is called, the fact is that you have pain, numbness or tingling sensations in your carpal tunnel area.

The carpal tunnel is the internal tunnel, or passageway, through your wrist.  Nerves and blood vessels pass through this "tunnel."  If this area gets compressed for any reason, uncomfortable sensations can result.

Compression can result from movements which aggravate your wrist or arm, or from swelling of the tissues.  Swelling and compression are the result of incorrect and repetitive use of the hands, arms and body.

Whether what you have is called carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive stress injury or something else, the cure is basically the same.

Because the cause is basically the same: soft tissue irritation and muscle imbalance.  Some people might say "soft tissue damage," but I don't want you to think in any way that you are "damaged." 

You're not!

Soft tissue is everything which is not bone.  Muscles, skin, nerves and everything else which is not bone is soft tissue. 

The good news is that soft tissue problems can be made better, and carpal tunnel syndrome is

Carpal Tunnel Pain? 5 Most Common Reasons for Carpal Tunnel Pain

Do you have any of the following symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?

• Pain, tingling or numbness in your fingers
• Tingling or numbness in your hand
• Pain that travels from your hands up your arm (as far as your shoulder) or from your arm downward
• Swelling or tightness in your hands or wrists

Have you ever noticed that the following carpal tunnel symptoms seem to increase at night or when you first wake up in the morning?

• Do your hands or lower arms feel weak in the morning
• Is it more difficult to grasp objects or you drop them more than you used to
• Are tasks that require hand strength, like opening jars or using hand tools, harder for you now

If so, you may be experiencing carpal tunnel pain.

I didn't say "carpal tunnel syndrome" because maybe it is, but maybe it's not.  But, we will use the two terms interchangeably here.

In the beginning, the first signs of carpal tunnel syndrome or pain may not be noticeable.  The symptoms may not come too often at first.  They may be mild.

As incorrect overuse of your hand continues, your symptoms may increase.  Increased pressure on your nerves is caused by your tissues getting aggravated (strained) and swelling.

Carpal tunnel pain occurs for a variety of reasons.  It usually results from one or more of the following five common reasons for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Trauma or Injury:

A hard blow to the arm or wrist will make the tendons in your carpal tunnel (a bony area in your wrist) swell.  This swelling is what causes the pain symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.  If you break your wrist, that can also cause the onset of carpal tunnel pain, which may be only temporary.

Genetic Predisposition:
A few people are genetically (runs in your family) more likely to get carpal tunnel syndrome than others.  Each person has varying amounts

Carpal Tunnel Book Review: It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!

The book It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! by Suparna Damany and Jack Bellis contains a good story.

The story is about Jack.  Jack was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Jack had carpal tunnel surgery.

Jack was really angry because surgery for his carpal tunnel problem left him, shall we say, untreated.  He still had pain and on top of that, now he was angry, too.

Suparna is an MSPT who treated Jack for his carpal tunnel pain after the surgery.

Fortunately for Jack, Suparna is a superior physical therapist.  After she successfully treated his carpal  tunnel pain, they wrote this extremely practical book.

The subtitle is RSI Theory and Therapy for Computer Professionals, but it has lots of great information for all of us with carpal tunnel area pain.

It includes an evaluation of the conventional medical therapies, including surgery.

Are there any parts I disagree with?  Sure.  There are a few. 

I can't help it; that's my nature.  But, overall, this is a very worthwhile book, with lots of helpful links for products, support and info for people with carpal tunnel pain.

So, if you'd like to get someone else's opinions on carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress problems involving hands, wrists and arms, this is a really good resource.

If you have carpal tunnel pain, it is in your best interest to educate yourself well.

"Because You Deserve To Feel Better!"

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - 3 Ways To Get Relief From Carpal Tunnel Pain

Do you have carpal tunnel symptoms? 

You might have thought that you have pain or numbness in your wrist, hand, fingers or arm because you are doing a lot of repetitive movement.

The actual reason may be that you are doing a lot of repetitive movements and you are doing them incorrectly.  That can cause carpal tunnel syndrome!

Some recent research showed that many people do the same type of work, but some get carpal tunnel syndrome and some do not.

Why would that be?

Well, some of us are muscularly well-balanced.  Some people are active and have strong backs, or spend time doing yoga or other balancing activities.

If you were using all of your muscles, you would be pretty well balanced.  If you were pretty well balanced, you would have less pain in your carpal tunnel area (and elsewhere, too.)

But, often we don't use all of our muscles.

Most of us use only about the same 60 or so muscles over and over.  Most of us haven't used ALL of our muscles since we were young kids.

And we have a LOT of muscles!

So, there are three parts to relieving your carpal tunnel pain when it is caused by repetitive movement (repetitive stress or motion.)

1.  Correct your movement patterns.

Doing repetitive movements in an incorrect way can (and will) overstretch (strain) your muscles.  The cure for this would be to explore and find the least damaging ways to do repetitive movements.

For example, holding your elbow close to your body instead of reaching out with your arm.  Holding your arm close to your waist causes less muscle strain, so less pain in your arm and hand.

Think about what you do that you believe aggravates your carpal tunnel pain.  Is it

Is It Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or Repetitive Strain Injury?

What is the difference between carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injury?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a specific set of symptoms.  It has only a few causes. 

Repetitive strain injuries are often mis-diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Repetitive strain injuries are caused by either over-use, using one's body incorrectly (faulty body mechanics or poor posture) or both.

Some doctors call repetitive strain injury "idiopathic".  Idiopathic means "no known cause."

But, doesn't everything have a cause?  Even carpal tunnel syndrome?

Yes, it does. 

A recent medical study of 117 studies indicated that repetitive movement was not a cause of repetitive strain injury.

Well, then, why do you have pain in your arm, hand and wrist?

Perhaps the researchers did not look quite far enough into the causes of carpal tunnel area pain.

An individual who is very fit and healthy and who has very good posture and a strong back side is much less likely to get a repetitive strain injury or carpal tunnel syndrome, either.

But those of us who have muscle imbalances, poor posture, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and are not in the peak of good health, well...

We are much more like to get a repetitive strain injury (as well as carpal tunnel pain.) 

A "strain" means a

Pain in Your Arm, Wrist or Hand? Do-It-Yourself Massage Helps Carpal Tunnel Pain

Do you have pain in your wrist, hand and/or arm?

Do you suspect carpal tunnel syndrome?

Have you thought about why you have this carpal tunnel  area pain?

We put lots of strain on the muscles in our lower arm during the course of our day.  Maybe your arm is flexed while you carry bags or babies.  Maybe your arms are bent at work.

Perhaps you play golf or tennis.  Maybe you sleep with your arms curled up at your chest.

When we use these positions, the muscles in our lower arms can get over-used or shortened.

These muscles are attached to your wrist and hand, and can cause pain simply by being tight and pulling on bones they are attached.  This pain can seem like carpal tunnel symptoms.

These forearm (lower arm) muscles also can get so crabby that they start to refer pain to your arm and hand.  When a muscle or muscle group is "too tight," or in spasm, pain can occur in the area of the muscle or farther down, in the carpal tunnel area.

How can self-massage help carpal tunnel syndrome?

Massaging your forearm can release the tightness in your muscles.  Massage warms and relaxes the muscles around the carpal tunnel and gets blood flowing through your tissues again.

When muscles are "too tight," less blood and lymph fluid can get through the tissues.  Metabolic (body) wastes cannot pass as easily through your tissues.  Massage corrects this and so helps relieve carpal tunnel discomfort.

Massaging the muscles in your forearm can be done in many ways.

In this article, we are going to talk about a warming technique I'll call "press and pinch."  That gives you a good picture of the technique, doesn't it?

You don't need any oil for this type of massage.

1.  Begin by placing the arm you will be massaging on a desk or table to support it.  Spend a few minutes pressing against your forearm, from wrist to elbow.  You can press with your other hand or forearm.

Pressing helps warm and relax your muscles and soft tissues around your carpal tunnel.

While you