How to Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (known as CTS) is one of the most common conditions affecting the hands and wrists, with at least 8 million Americans believed to suffer from the condition each year. Although not deemed serious in the traditional sense, patients who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome can find that it has a significant impact on their day to day lives, and in some instances can impact their ability to work or perform even basic functions such as making a drink or getting dressed.
Fortunately, there are plenty of things that can be done to help minimize your risk of developing problems with your carpal tunnel. Here’s what you need to know about why this condition occurs and what you can do to prevent it.
About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is characterized by damage to the median nerve, which is the primary nerve that provides sensation and movement to the hand and wrist. The nerve itself is protected within a sheath of tissue. It is this sheath that is the carpal tunnel. When the sheath becomes compressed, it compromises the ability of the nervous system to transmit messages from the brain to the hand and wrist. This can affect the function of these parts of the body, as well as the sensations that you experience in them.
Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
There are a variety of different symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
Abnormal sensation in the fingers, hand, wrist and maybe even forearms. This includes coldness, tingling and prickling.
Numbness/loss of feeling in the fingers, thumb, hand and wrist.
Weakness in the fingers, wrist and hand that may make it difficult to pick up or hold objects, particularly those that are heavy.
Pain that can affect your fingers, hand, wrist or forearm. This can be mild or significant, constant or intermittent. Some patients find that the discomfort extends all the way up their arm to their elbow.
Preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Whilst there is no guarantee that you won’t experience carpal tunnel syndrome at some point during your lifetime, there are quite a few steps that you can take to prevent it.
Rest your hands
Carpal tunnel typically affects people who use their hands to make lots of small movements a great deal in the course of their normal day. This could be typing, drawing, painting, making jewelry, sewing or something else. Fortunately, you can lower your risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome by taking regular breaks to rest the muscles, ligaments and other important structures in your hand, which tend to be tensed when you are doing certain activities. Try and take at least five minutes every hour to shake your hands out and relieve some of the tension.
Get the right equipment to help
For many jobs where carpal tunnel syndrome is a significant risk, there are ergonomic aids that can help prevent the condition from occurring. For example, if you work in an office or using a computer, you may be able to take advantage of devices such as a vertical mouse, wrist rests, ergonomically shaped keyboards and more to reduce your risk. Don’t be afraid to speak to your HR department to request those aids that you think could be beneficial.
Keep your hands warm
If you already suffer from mild carpal tunnel syndrome, cold hands with poor circulation will limit your mobility and cause you even more issues. If you work in a cold environment, or you naturally suffer from cold extremities such as hands and feet, consider wearing gloves to help keep your hands warm, comfortable and mobile.
If you’d like more advice on how to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, our friendly and knowledgeable team would be happy to help.
