Carpal Tunnel massage For Everyone
25 09 2009
Carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS, is a painful condition that causes numbness, weakness and intense throbbing in the fingers, hands and wrists. Many times people are unable to hold even very lightweight objects when they lose their ability to grip objects. As soon as the condition is diagnosed, a wrist brace that will correct the hands posture and relieve some of the pain is often prescribed. The brace will also prevent the condition from getting any worse. Many of the more severe cases require surgery in order to find relief. Many people have been able to forego surgery and effectively relieve the pain of CTS by using carpal tunnel massage techniques.
While carpal tunnel massage isn’t widely prescribed yet, studies that have been conducted show an Improvement in the level of pain as well as increased mobility. It is helpful to do self massage techniques in combination with massage done by a professional massage therapist. The best time to do the self massage is right before bedtime since the effects of carpal tunnel syndrome are usually more intense during the night. A recent study used two groups of people. One group received professional massage and incorporated self massage techniques. The second group did not do any type of massage therapy. After one month, the group that participated in the massage therapy showed a noticeable improvement in the intensity of the pain. They also reported increased grip and mobility of the affect areas. The medical community wants to see more research done before they offer massage therapy to their patients, but the early studies look promising.
It is really very simple to self administer carpal tunnel massage. The person should apply short strokes with pressure to the forearm, with each stroke lasting 2 -3 seconds. Apply the same strokes to the palms of the hands and lighten the pressure when massaging the wrists. Carpal tunnel massage should be done at least once a day, more often if necessary, for several weeks. After two or three weeks a noticeable difference should be seen. If the therapy is continued for several months it is possible to entirely reverse the condition.
Carpal tunnel can also originate from stress to the neck, back and shoulder areas, so receiving a weekly massage to those areas is also helpful in treating carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact, even if a person has not yet developed carpal tunnel syndrome, but is part of a high risk group, weekly massages are advised to make certain that these areas are not over stressed.
Exercises that require squeezing, resistance and stretching of the arm, wrist, fingers and hands are also helpful. By routinely using a stress ball to help with squeezing and resistance, or using range of motion exercise that slowly rotate wrists and stretch fingers, blood can begin to properly circulate in the damaged region and give relief to swelling and pressure on the median nerve located in the wrist’s carpal tunnel.
For sufferers that are already using a brace to correct the hands posture and relieve the pain should continue its use. It is recommended that theses people also use carpal tunnel massage therapy to increase the chances of recovery from this painful condition. It is possible to use carpal tunnel massage to decrease the chances of needing surgery as well as decreasing the chance of further damage to the nerve.
