Avoiding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

This repetitive stress injury is and has been a major physical problem for office bound employees, supermarket checkers, writers, surgeons, various athletes and some gamblers.

You're at risk of developing CTS by repeatedly flexing or tensing your wrist, hand or fingers. Typing, writing, punching a cash register, pulling the handle of a slot machine. All can result in the tendons of your wrist, hand and fingers becoming inflamed which often causes seemingly disproportionately intense pain. Sometimes just trying to open a door can be tortuous. Not to mention performing the job that was the mechanism of injury in the first place.

Here, are three simple tips to lessen the chance of contracting this all too common condition. Swedish physical therapists have used similar techniques in successfully treating such injuries. Our philosophy, though, involves doing the physical therapy before the onset of injury, so as to ideally avoid injury, altogether. Keep this in mind: take time now for good health or be forced to make time later for bad health.

Three Pointers

• take regular breaks from repetitive activity

• strengthen muscles opposite those you use most often

• regularly stretch those muscles you use repeatedly

Take Regular Breaks from Work

Taking regular breaks from your repetitive work activity is pretty obvious. Space them about 40 minutes to one hour apart. This cannot be overemphasized.

Strengthen Your Wrist Extensors

Strengthening your wrist extensors is as easy as holding a light dumbbell in one hand, palm down, with that arm level to the floor, and supported on your thigh or a table. Let the weight of the dumbbell bend your wrist forward or down, and then draw your knuckles upward toward the ceiling. Repeat 15 to 25 times. Do both sides.

Stretch Your Wrist, Hand and Finger Flexors

Face a table, or other horizontal surface that's about mid thigh level. Step forward with one leg, placing that foot beneath the table. Lean forward over the table and position your hands, palms down, fingers straight out and pointing back toward you, flat onto the table. Gently lean back so that a mild stretch is felt in the underside of your forearms. At this point try and grip the table with both hands, sort of like palming a basketball. It won't feel exactly the same but the idea is just to contract the forearm muscles you're going to stretch. Hold this contraction for five seconds. Now, easily release your grip while gently leaning back farther into your stretch, until the stretch is mildly to moderately uncomfortable. Keep your palms flat on the table. Hold this stretch for at least 15 seconds, and up to about a minute. Slowly lean forward to release. Repeat several times each workday.

Note

Normal range of motion for wrist extension (wrist bent backwards), with your fingers straight is nearly a right angle (actually about 80 degrees) in relation to your forearm. Your range may be more or less.