Home Remedies & Ways to Find Carpal Tunnel Relief
Carpal Tunnel causes numbness and tingling sensation, along with weakness in your hand, arm and sometimes the entire side of your body. Unfortunately, there's no cure for permanent pain, but many options exist for temporary relief from the agony associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Keep reading to learn how to start relieving and preventing pain today. For chronic or lasting pain, talk with your doctor to determine the best methods for relief from this common workplace injury.
At Home Carpal Tunnel Treatment
Home remedies for carpal tunnel syndrome focus on reducing swelling around the nerve and offering pain relief. You can do some of these simple remedies at home, but if your pain isn't going away or getting worse, we always recommend seeing a doctor from time to time, no matter what ailment you have, to ensure it's being treated properly.
Hand and Wrist Exercises
Another one of our essential household remedies are hand and wrist exercises, to help reduce your chance of surgery. Because they are accompanied by strengthening forearms, wrists, and grip strength, these exercises are simple to do anywhere and can be done in any position. Unlike gym weight-training regiments, carpal tunnel stretches should only be stopped if you find you're uncomfortable or have pain during the process. (Always listen to what your body tells you.) They should be advanced slowly, because it will help reduce the chance of too much pressure on your wrist, which ultimately causes pain.
Massage
Massage may not be as widely known as other treatments available to carpal tunnel syndrome sufferers, but one should definitely give it a try! A trained massage therapist can help treat your wrist and surrounding area by easing tension, relaxing joints, and helping trigger points. All of these treatments combined may give favorable results that you won't want to miss out on!
Hot and Cold Therapy
Recently, there has been a trend toward simpler icing and heating methods that people can do at home. Whether you realize it, icing your injury will reduce the swelling and level of pain. On the other hand, applying heat can bring in more blood and fresh resources to aid your healing process. Many of these processes utilize common household items, such as bags of ice, towels, or organic heating pads in your microwave oven; both specific to areas of inflammation where you might sense the injury with an elevated heart rate.
Cold therapy for an injury is designed to reduce swelling and pain caused by injured muscles. It works because when you put an injured area under cold pack or ice, it causes blood vessels to tighten, which in turn reduces swelling. This will help relieve the pain associated with injuries. Cold therapy can also be done with a cold therapy pack or frozen vegetables. They are both inexpensive options that are easy to bring anywhere you go
Hot therapy is any form of herbal heating pads, warm soaks, or specialized fingerless gloves used to improve the healing of your sore hands. Heat stimulates the blood flow within its targets and brings nutrients and oxygen to it to make the process faster and more efficient.
Wear a Wrist Support
Wearing a wrist splint will help with carpal tunnel syndrome by reducing the pressure on your median nerve. Due to reduced irritation and pressure, you’ll experience less pain, decreased numbness in your hands due to decreased pressure on your median nerve, and greater functionality, because the body won’t have to adapt so much to cope without feeling sensations in your hands. The splint can be worn at any time of day or night while participating in any activity, and is comfortable, since it's contoured to fit the palm of your hand. You'll notice an increase in functionality!
Elevate Hands
To keep from getting burned out, be sure you're always giving yourself a break. It's going to cause a lot of stress otherwise. As for the carpal tunnel issue that many people suffer from, it's important to do something about it before it gets worse! One of the most effective tactics is elevation, as long as you don't lift your hand above the level of your heart. You could also try elevation while at home on your breaks. This will ensure that swelling doesn't happen in your wrists, which could lead to much more severe issues if not treated immediately. If intermittent periods of rest work best for you, keep this in mind so that you can stay feeling refreshed and relaxed all the time!
Use Pain Relief Cream
If you’re looking for a no-fuss approach to dealing with your constant wrist and hand pains, then using a pain relief cream is one viable alternative. Such creams typically come in tubes that contain small brushes or rollers, which are used to apply specific amounts of the compound directly onto the affected area. If you struggle to find an effective solution via more standard routes, such as cold therapy packs or massage, then you might want to consider taking some time out and seeking help from these types of creams for carpal tunnel treatment. We can’t recommend doing this too often due to the fact that they have the short-term effects, but when used alongside other forms of carpal tunnel treatments, then they might be what you’re looking for! Make sure you find a type of cream that isn’t greasy and won’t stain your workwear, so that your hands aren't stuck in one position all day long!
Lifestyle Changes for Carpal Tunnel Relief
Many factors affect your health, including the health of your wrists. A lifestyle that includes healthy food, exercise, and avoiding smoke reduces the risk of developing chronic conditions.
Take Breaks from Repetitive Activities
Repetitive jobs can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Make sure you're taking plenty of breaks during your day to let your wrists rest. You should also make it a habit to do simple carpal tunnel stretching exercises every so often, because they help loosen the tendons and ligaments that can cause nerve irritation in your wrists. People with construction, assembly line, and keyboard type jobs are most likely to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome.
Avoid Over Flexion of the Wrist
Your median nerve sits in a narrow, rigid cyst called the carpal tunnel. When that cyst becomes swollen and distended, it rubs against your median nerve, which causes inflammation and pain. You can avoid this unwanted friction by keeping your wrist straight and not bending it too far in either direction, as this could lead to an even smaller carpal tunnel space, which will simply worsen matters.
Relax Your Grip
Playing sports, using tools or construction equipment with too tight a grip, can damage your wrist. If you can, it's best to relax your grip for a bit of relief. Try switching hands if the object is light enough, or to use a tool that works better with a looser grip.
Maintain Healthy Weight
Your health is a reflection of the well-being of your entire body, and just like with every other part of your body, from head to toe, your wrists also need to be cared for. Carrying around extra weight can be stressful to the wrists, especially considering that one uses his/her hands to push himself/herself up from the ground during particularly demanding exercises, like walking hand-in-hand with someone or climbing a set of stairs. The structure of the wrist needs adequate space to support weight that it typically doesn't get when carrying around a few extra pounds. So try eating better and start exercising as often as possible - these two things will do wonders if you're looking after your health!
Don’t Smoke
When you smoke, you're likely to notice some unevenness in blood circulation - for instance, it's possible you lose feeling or sensitivity in your fingers. This can be troubling and uncomfortable, so we ask that you not engage in this habit to stop smoking. If you need help with nicotine addiction and withdrawal symptoms (like physical discomfort or loss of energy), it may be necessary to contact a physician who can provide the help needed to get one on the right track towards thorough recovery.
Pain Relief at Night
The best nighttime carpal tunnel solution is to keep your wrist in a neutral position. The posture you're trying to maintain is just one that reduces pressure on the nerve and allows swelling to start returning to normal. Some people like the option of wearing a wrist splint or an elevated wrist while they sleep.