It is easy to dismiss numbness or tingling in your hands and arms as a minor inconvenience. However, if the feeling persists for several months or worsens, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS. According to John Hopkins Medicine, carpal tunnel syndrome occurs if your median nerve undergoes compression as it passes through the carpal tunnel in your wrist. It is a progressive condition that can worsen if you do not address it well.

What Causes CTS

You can get CTS when the median nerve gets pinched. While there are no specific causes, there can be several reasons, like manual labor, regular use of vibrating hand tools, or even frequently playing a musical instrument. It is still unclear whether typing on a computer keyboard for long hours can cause CTS.

Other contributing factors include sports and physical activities involving frequent grasping movements, bone or joint diseases, like arthritis, and hormonal or metabolic changes due to pregnancy, menopause, and thyroid diseases.

Alternative treatment experts at QC Kinetix (Colchester) also say CTS may happen due to Type-2 diabetes, injuries of the wrist, and even a family history of CTS. Follow the map.

Symptoms of CTS

The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome usually progress gradually. You will typically experience a tingling feeling or numbness in your fingers, especially in the index fingers and thumbs in one or both hands.

Additionally, you may experience a weak grip, a pins-and-needles feeling, and a burning feeling, and your finger may swell. The pain or numbness may often worsen at night, preventing you from getting good sleep. The diagnosis of CTS may often be difficult because the symptoms are similar to other medical issues.

How to Get Relief from CTS At Home

You can try out the following home remedies in the early stages of CTS to ease your symptoms. Some home remedies you can try;

Take regular breaks from repetitive tasks: If you are doing something using repetitive finger, wrist, or hand motions like typing, playing a musical instrument, or working with hand tools, taking a break every 15 minutes can help wiggle your finger, flex your wrists, and move your hands to improve blood circulation and overcome muscle fatigue.

Lighten the force or grip: If you find yourself gripping too hard or using your fingers with too much force, you should try to relax and loosen your grip, and use less force. Typing lightly and using soft grips on pens and tools may help.

Wear splints on wrists: You can relieve the pressure on the median nerve by keeping your wrists straight. Wearing splints in the evening might be more effective since the symptoms of CTS occur more often at night. You can also use them during the day when doing repetitive tasks.

Exercise: whenever you have the opportunity, you should ball up your fist and extend your fingers to improve blood circulation and ease muscle tension. Repeating the exercise 10 times can keep your wrists more mobile.

Conclusion 

In addition to these tactics, you can try pain medications; however, if you don’t get sustained relief, you should consult a physical therapist for more advanced exercise or a doctor for effective treatment.

Jane