CTS Symptoms:

• numb hands
• tingling fingers, finger pain except for little finger
• forearm pain
• forearm stiffness
• loss of sleep due to pain or numbness in hand at night
• wrist pain

CTS Cause:

These symptoms occur when the median nerve, which travels from the spine down to the hand, becomes pinched at some point along its pathway.  Pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the shoulder and upper arm areas can be caused by risk factors such as  leaning on elbows, cradling a phone in the crook of the neck or slouching.

Pinching can also occur in the wrist as the nerve passes through what is known as the carpal tunnel.

Connective tissue, including the tendons passing through the carpal tunnel with the median nerve, responds to risk factors by becoming inflamed and swollen,tightening around the nerve.

Pain, numbness, tingling and burning are symptoms of this pressure on the nerve.  Continued impingement can cause permanent nerve damage.

However, because these symptoms in the hand can also appear when the median nerve is pinched at some other point on its journey, it is very important, when considering CTS prevention, that preventive action is focused not only on the hand and wrist.

CTS Treatments:

• Carpal tunnel surgery is epidemic.    In “101 Questions and Answers About Carpal Tunnel” (2002), Steven J McCabe writes,    “Herbert Galloway, an orthopedic surgeon in Winnipeg, Manitoba, performed the first carpal tunnel release in 1924.”  Carpal Tunnel Surgery is now one of the most commonly performed, PREVENTABLE, surgical procedures in the world.

Even though relief from symptoms is usually experienced after surgery, it is extremely important to stretch the connective tissue, in this case scar tissue, to prevent recurrence of injury.  This is often where surgery follow-up fails.

• Medication is used to attempt to reduce inflammation in the injured area.  Medication is a temporary solution.  Without addressing the cause of the injury, symptoms remain and pain returns quickly when medication is stopped.

• Wrist splints hold the wrist still to avoid putting more pressure on the compressed nerve.

When a bone is broken, it needs to be held together while it heals.  Connective tissue is not bone.

It needs to move to recover and splinting prevents that.  While temporary relief due to restricted movement may occur when a splint is used, there is no change at the level of the cause of the injury.

• Regular, slow, gentle stretching throughout the upper body can reduce the severity of Carpal Tunnel symptoms, improve range of motion in the lower arm and hand and change the condition of the connective tissue.
  

CTS Prevention:

While the main focus area of CTS pain and discomfort is in the wrist and hand, the cause of injury may be anywhere along the pathway of the median nerve leading into the hand.    

Overuse of the fingers, hands, arms and shoulders can cause the connective tissue, including tendons, to respond by swelling.  The inflamed tissue tightens around the nerve.  This pinching, or impingement leads to symptoms which, if not addressed, can develop into Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

The only way to permanently eliminate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome caused by overuse is to consistently take corrective action.

Just as in any other situation in which overuse and habitual postures create the injury, preventive measures for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome must be done frequently.

Stretching the connective tissue regularly from the tips of the fingers, through the arms, up into the neck area, and down the shoulders and back prevents tightness around the nerves and blood vessels at any point on their pathways from the spine down to the hand.

Treat The Cause of CTS, Not Just The Symptoms

PRSI Break stretches the connective tissue head to toe.

Each stretch is designed to release tightness in the connective tissue.

Each stretch is demonstrated move by move to ensure the pacing required to return connective tissue fibers to fluidity and flexibility.

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Quick Links to Related Information

• Connective Tissue
• Injury - Cause & Anatomy
• Risk Factors