Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Pain in Your Hands and Wrists

Working in a call center and blogging after work hours make me stay in front of a computer for almost 24 hours. That's not a problem to me. But after many weeks of doing the same thing, I noticed my wrist is aching.

I asked my friend (she's a Physical Therapist) about it. She said I may be experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome.

What is carpal tunnel?
The carpal tunnel is a narrow tunnel formed by the bones and other tissues of your wrist. This tunnel protects your median nerve. The median nerve gives you feeling in your thumb, and index, middle and ring fingers.

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) or median neuropathy at the wrist is a medical condition in which the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to pain, paresthesias, and muscle weakness in the forearm and hand.

CTS can be caused by anything that involves excessive unidirectional movement patterns that require too much force, duration and repetition, as the overused muscles actually become stronger, shorter and tighter than their opposition, the extensor muscles.

Causes:
A common factor in developing carpal tunnel symptoms is increased hand use or activity. While repetitive activities are often blamed for the development of CTS, the correlation is often unclear. Physiology and family history may have a significant role in individual's susceptibility. Furthermore, stress, trauma and several other diseases are also possible causes of CTS.

Prevention:

• Reduce your force and relax your grip. Most people use more force than needed to perform many tasks involving the hands. If your work involves a cash register, for instance, hit the keys softly. For prolonged handwriting, use a big pen with an oversized, soft grip adapter and free-flowing ink. This way you won't have to grip the pen tightly or press as hard on the paper.
• Take frequent breaks. Every 15 to 20 minutes give your hands and wrists a break by gently stretching and bending them.
• If you are going to be working with your hands for an extended period of time, whether it be at the computer, in the shop, or in the gym, you should always stretch and warm-up the joint.
• Watch your form. Avoid bending your wrist all the way up or down. A relaxed middle position is best. If you use a keyboard, keep it at elbow height or slightly lower.
• Improve your posture. Incorrect posture can cause your shoulders to roll forward. When your shoulders are in this position, your neck and shoulder muscles are shortened, compressing nerves in your neck. This can affect your wrists, fingers and hands.
• Keep your hands warm. You're more likely to develop hand pain and stiffness if you work in a cold environment. If you can't control the temperature at work, put on fingerless gloves that keep your hands and wrists warm.

Treatment:

• Massage the hurt spot with mint oil or lavender oil.
• When working on a computer use a wrist rest
• Home remedy for carpal tunnel syndrome: put your hand in warm water for 30 minutes, can add lavender oil to the water.
• Splint your wrist through the night.
• Consult a doctor
  

As for me, I'll try these remedies and I think I just need a hand massage....