How to Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? 

Have you ever felt pain in your wrist while working or, as a woman, has your hand ever gone numb while you were pregnant, making it hard to grasp objects? You might experience shock when you exhibit this symptom because you have probably never heard anyone say they have been in such a situation before.

Carpal tunnel syndrome develops when the tunnel swells up and compresses or squeezes the median nerve that passes through it. The median nerve enables the different parts of your arm to move and feel sensations. This syndrome is usually linked to working on a computer or doing office-based projects.

Symptoms

Usually, carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms begin gradually. You may experience numbness or a burning sensation in your fingers, except for the small ones. Sometimes, the feeling might move up your arm.

Over time, as the syndrome becomes more severe, you will begin to experience the symptoms in daytime hours, especially after you have spent a lot of time engaging in an activity that requires you to turn your wrist upwards or downward. The symptoms could appear and disappear for a short while; however, they will worsen more frequently.

Other symptoms include:

·         You have a hard time buttoning buttons or handling small items, or your habit of dropping things from time to time.

·         You are experiencing difficulty when you want to make a fist, and you feel as if your hand is weak.

·         You experience shocks in your thumb or finger which do not last for a long time.

Signs and Risk Factors

Carpal syndrome is not easy to notice. However, one of the most common signs is dropping items whenever you try to hold them. In extreme cases, you may see the thumb muscles have shrunk. The risk factors linked to this condition include career, gender, anatomy, age, and health issues.

How to Prevent the Carpal Syndrome

If you apply these techniques when working, you may avoid developing carpal tunnel syndrome:

Use a different computer mouse

Finding the right mouse can be time-consuming but worth it in the end. Fortunately for you, there are many designs available in the market.

Exercise by stretching your body and doing wrist stretches

The wrist stretches can include rotating the wrist upwards and downwards to eliminate stiffness, using one hand to push against the thumb of the other hand lightly, and stretching the tendons in each finger by spreading the fingers out to create a space between them. You can also do the prayer stretch, whereby you put your palms together and hold them above your head. Try moving your hands downward while still holding your palms together and keeping them in that position for about 10 minutes. Do the exercise several times.

Ensure that you are always warm

This is because whenever someone is cold, stiffness and pain feel greater. Consider wearing gloves even if they have no fingers because they will keep your wrist and hand feeling warm.

·         Rest at intervals of fifteen minutes. The frequent breaks will help you reduce pressure on your wrists.

·         Ensure that your forearm is parallel to the ground or a bit lower.

·         Avoid leaning on your wrist or your palm.

·         Place your elbows near your sides.

Lifestyles You Need to Change to Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Certain lifestyles can make you prone to developing this syndrome. These are the habits you need to adapt to ensure that you keep the carpal tunnel syndrome at bay:

Refrain from doing repetitive tasks

As noted earlier, the leading cause of this syndrome is performing repetitive tasks. If your job description requires you to do such tasks, it may be impossible to follow this advice.

Quit smoking

Smoking can affect your blood flow. This can make you more susceptible to developing this syndrome and even worsen the signs.

Ensure you have a healthy weight

Being overweight or obese can reduce the rate at which the nerves move to your hand. Additional weight can make it impossible to do physical activities, increasing the possibility of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Put on a wrist brace

A wrist brace is excellent because, during the day, it will help you maintain your wrist in a straight position when you are doing repetitive activities with your hand and when you are sleeping at night.

Hold things lightly

Regardless of what activity you engage in, don’t hold things tightly and loosen your grip. If you hold small items tightly, you will be applying pressure on your wrist, increasing the chances of having carpal syndrome. It would be best to exercise your wrist when at work to prevent this from occurring. You can do this by shaking your hand when holding a brush or pen and holding them lightly.

Exercise caution when gaming

Gamers spend numerous hours pressing a game controller or using a computer keyboard, which puts them at a high risk of developing carpal syndrome. They can take breaks every few hours and move away from the computer. Luckily, there are ways in which they can avoid getting themselves in this situation.

They can also sit upright and ensure that the computer is at their eye level so that they do not have to lower their heads or look upwards when playing their game.

Family Chiropractic Care in Longview, WA, Can Help You

It is imperative to seek treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome from a trained and professional healthcare practitioner because it can become permanent if not treated early. If you have struggled to cope with carpal tunnel syndrome, we can help you relieve the pain. Dr. Rick Still is an experienced chiropractor who has more than three decades of experience assisting people to reduce the discomfort of this condition.

Preventing carpal tunnel syndrome is important because it will save you pain and discomfort. At Family Chiropractic Care, we can help you adopt a healthy lifestyle that will make it easy to prevent the condition. We have a holistic approach to treatment, and we will show you the proven strategies that you can use to avoid applying pressure on the median nerve. Get in touch with us today and experience quality and reliable chiropractic services.