12 Secrets to Getting Rid of Carpal Tunnel Pain

Secret #1: Home Remedies

Sometimes, if you have a mild case of carpal tunnel or if you are going to give birth shortly so you know that your carpal tunnel pain will be ending soon, common carpal tunnel home remedies can help to give you relief from the pain. Some of the best home remedies are:

• Soak your wrist and hand in ice water for 10 to 15 minutes a few times a day. Ice baths reduce swelling and inflammation as well as pain.
• Try hanging your wrist and hand over the edge of a sofa, table, or bed for 10 to 15 minutes. This can relieve pressure and offer some much-needed relief.
• Try using a wrist splint or wrist wrap bandage. These can be purchased at any drug store.
• Warm some water to no more than 100 degrees and soak your wrist for 10 to 15 minutes, flexing your hand while you do so. Repeat 3 or 4 times per day. Warm water will loosen up the connective tissue.

Secret #2: Lighten the Load

Pay attention to whatever it is you are doing with your hands and reduce your grip. Try not to use so much pressure when typing or writing, and don’t hold on to tools or a steering wheel so tightly. Relax your grip and reduce the amount of pressure that you use.

You should also avoid flexing your wrists, in either direction, to any extreme. Your wrist should stay as neutral as possible. Use ergonomic keyboards and computer mice that are designed to reduce stress on the wrists.

Secret #3: Give It a Rest

One of the most obvious things to do is to stop doing whatever is causing you pain! This is one of those “sounds good on paper” things that are much harder to do in real life. Not many of us have the opportunity to stop working (if that’s the case) but you might be able to find a way to do exactly that.

Depending on the root cause, you can have your doctor write a note stating that you need to do “alternative work” for a certain period (usually two weeks). Your work must allow you to have alternate duties or take the time off.

If you work for yourself, well, maybe you should give yourself a two-week vacation and give your wrists and hands a well-deserved rest!

However, if you are experiencing carpal tunnel because you play a musical instrument or because of a certain sport you are playing, it will be easier to take some time away to let your body heal.

Pain that is caused by health conditions, such as fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, taking a 2- week break might help for a while, but you will probably need a longer-term solution.

Secret #4: Stretch It Out/Exercises

While giving your hands and wrists a break sounds great, sometimes, even that is not enough. There are a few simple stretches and exercises that can help to stop the pain and keep hands, fingers, and wrists more flexible. Do these 3 exercises a few times each day and before bed to help ease carpal tunnel syndrome.

Some of the best exercises for carpal tunnel include:

1. Spider Doing Pushups on a Mirror. This exercise has a funny name but once you see it done, you will see that the name is perfect for this movement. Like the itsy-bitsy spider rhyme, put your hands together in a prayer position. Spread your fingers as far as possible, then steeple the fingers by separating the palms, keeping your fingers together. This up-and-down movement stretches the carpal tunnel structure, the median nerve, as well as the fascia of the palm.
2. The Shake. Exercise doesn’t get much easier than this! Simply shake your hands in front of you as if they were wet and you are trying to air-dry them. Do this for about 1 minute every two hours and just before bed.
3. The Armstrong Stretch. This is a very deep stretch that will make your wrist more flexible. Simply place your arm out in front of you and let your hand hang down at the wrist, palm side down. Using your opposite hand, apply gentle pressure to the hand and stretch the wrist as far as possible without pain. Hold for a count of 20, then switch hands. Do this stretching exercise several times per day and you should see improvement in about 3 weeks.
4. The Prayer Stretch. You should feel the stretch in your wrists and not in the shoulders. Start with your palms together, held in front of the chest, just below the chin. Keeping your hands close to your body, lower your hands towards the waistline. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then repeat. Do this stretch two or more times per day.

Secret #5: How to Get Rid of Carpal Tunnel After Pregnancy

Some women experience the pain of carpal tunnel during pregnancy due to swelling. This swelling of the hands and wrists puts pressure on the median nerve, causing pain and numbness in the hands and fingers. Unfortunately, this pain can persist even after you have given birth.

For most women, it’s simply a matter of time before the swelling and inflammation cause things to return to normal. Your doctor might suggest cortisone injections to help relieve the pain, but the injections themselves can be quite painful.

Some of the best ways to speed up the healing process after pregnancy include:

• Eating foods high in vitamin B6 such as avocados, dark green vegetables, sunflower seeds, and garlic.
• Wear wrist braces or splints
• Wrapping wet, cold cabbage leaves around the wrists to remove excess fluids and stop swelling
• Do the stretching exercises in secret #4
• Have your partner or a friend give you gentle wrist massages
• Try giving your hands and wrists ice baths
• Use the hot wax treatment suggested in secret #7
• Drink chamomile tea to relax the muscles
• See your chiropractor for adjustments to your wrists and arms, reducing pressure and offering pain relief

Secret #6: How to Get Rid of Carpal Tunnel Pain at Night

Why does everything seem to hurt worse at night when you are trying to get your rest?! The answer to this is complicated, but most times, as in the case of carpal tunnel, it’s because we sleep in positions that cause pain. The pain from carpal tunnel can also increase at night because of a buildup of fluid, which put pressure on the area.

To find carpal tunnel relief at night, you need to avoid sleeping in certain positions that aggravate carpal tunnel such as

• The fetal position, where your arms are in front of you, the outside of your hands on top of each other, wrists bent in towards the chest.
• Sleeping on your stomach with your hands under the pillow
• Any position that bends your wrists

You can get more rest if you try the following before you hit the hay:

• Sleep with a wrist brace
• Sleep on your back with your arms and wrists flat on your side
• Sleep on your side with a pillow between your arms so your wrists remain straight
• Doing the stretching exercises listed in secret #7
• Drinking a cup of chamomile tea before bed to relax the muscles
• Massage your hands, wrists, and arms before bed
• Soak your hands and wrists in warm water for 10-15 minutes before bed to relax the muscles

Changing the position in which you sleep will probably do more good than anything else, but the other measures mentioned here have also been known to help. Experiment and try several options to find which ones work best for you.