Living with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) can be frustrating in more ways than one. Once the symptoms flare up, the feeling of tingling, numbness, weakness, and pain in your hands or wrist can compromise the quality of everyday life.
CTS is often triggered by everyday activities that use repetitive hand motion – from using vibrating hand tools, typing, playing a musical instrument, and other forms of manual labor. The home remedies below should help provide simple yet effective carpal tunnel relief without surgery if you start to experience mild symptoms.
Tip #1: Use a Wrist Brace
Braces can ease mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome, especially when worn out every night. Studies show that people often sleep with bent or flexed wrists, which can put unnecessary strain on the nerve and carpal tunnel area.
This can worsen CTS, which is wearing a wrist brace helps avoid the scenario and prevent the symptoms from getting worse. You can also invest in custom-made braces that can be worn during the day, especially when your work involves typing for hours-on-end.
Tip #2: Stretch Your Hands and Wrists Between Repetitive Tasks
Repetitive motion can take a toll on the nerve pathways that lead to the hand, so it’s best to consciously take breaks in between typing, playing the guitar, cutting, and other tedious tasks. Be sure to stretch your hands and wrists to open the nerves in your carpal tunnel, such as the “corner stretch.”
To do this, find an empty corner before placing your palm and forearm on each wall. The height should be slightly above your shoulders, while the elbows form at a 90-degree angle. Put your one foot in front of the other and hold your ground as the body moves forward.
This can stretch your chest and relieve tight nerves along the shoulder and neck, which soothes the nerves in the wrists.
Tip #3: Warm it Up or Cool it Down
Studies have shown conflicting results between warming or icing your wrist to relieve carpal tunnel pain, wherein some produce more positive results with heating pads, while others find more relief using cold packs.
Either way, choose the best method that is most effective at reducing the inflammation for you. When using ice packs, be sure not to go for more than 20 minutes to avoid irritating your skin.
Tip #4: Take Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medications
If some of the home remedies above are not providing any relief for your carpal tunnel syndrome, taking OTC medications like aspirin (Bufferin) and ibuprofen (Advil) can do wonders in reducing inflammation along the nerve in your wrists. This will eventually calm the symptoms and get rid of any lingering pain or weakness.
The Bottom Line
If you’re noticing the first signs of carpal tunnel syndrome, the tips above should help you ease the symptoms and mitigate it from developing any further. Taking breaks between repetitive tasks, doing hand exercises, and minding your flexion should keep CTS from worsening.
When the pain persists, be sure to check with your doctor to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
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