Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

1. Wrist extension

This exercise stretches the muscles in the inner forearm.

Hold one arm straight out in front of the body at shoulder height.

Try not to lock the elbow when stretching the arm out.

Bend the wrist back as if making a “stop” sign.

Use the opposite hand to gently pull the palm back toward the body to feel a stretch in the inner forearm.

Hold for 15 seconds.

Release and repeat five times.

Repeat the whole exercise on the other arm.

People can repeat this sequence up to four times per day, 5–7 days per week. 

2. Wrist flexion

This exercise stretches the muscles in the outer forearm.

Extend one arm in front of the body at shoulder height.

Try not to lock the elbow when stretching the arm out.

With the palm facing down, bend the wrist, so the fingers point toward the floor.

Using the other hand, gently pull the bent hand toward the body to feel a stretch in the outer forearm.

Hold for 15 seconds.

Release and repeat five times.

Repeat the whole exercise on the other arm.

People can repeat this sequence up to four times per day, 5–7 days per week. 

3. Median nerve glide

A glide is a stretching exercise to help improve the mobility of a compressed nerve, such as the median nerve.

Make a fist with one hand and keep the thumb on the outside.

Uncurl the fingers, stretch the fingers and thumb out straight and keep the thumb pressed to the side of the hand.

Gently bend the hand back toward the forearm, then extend the thumb out to the side.

Using the opposite hand, apply gentle pressure on the thumb to stretch it.

For each change of position, hold for 3–7 seconds.

Release and repeat the whole exercise on the other hand

People can repeat this exercise 10–15 times per day, 6–7 days per week.

Holding a cold compress, such as an ice pack in a wrapped towel or a bag of frozen peas, on the hand for 20 minutes after the exercise may help prevent inflammation.

Chiropractic care is an excellent, non-invasive, and effective solution for carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as other types of pain, that can help relieve tension, strain, and compression of the nerves through manual manipulations and hands-on techniques.

It reduces swelling in the carpal tunnel.

Since this is the primary goal of carpal tunnel sufferers, it’s absolutely vital. Chiropractic care will get to the root of the issue—the swollen carpal tunnel—and work to restore proper function to this area. Through spinal adjustments and even adjustments of the wrist and hand, the carpal tunnel will receive the proper signals from the brain and work more effectively and without unnecessary swelling.

It encourages proper blood flow.

Minimizing nerve interference is the name of the game in chiropractic. When there is less interference in your spine, hand, and arm, blood will move properly and your body will function more effectively, leading to fewer issues with carpal tunnel and less pain and discomfort.

It removes spinal misalignments that may be to blame for the swelling.

We know that the median nerve is connected to our spinal cord, and we know that the health of our spinal cord is dependent upon the health of our spine. So while there may be other factors playing into carpal tunnel syndrome, removing spinal misalignments will only help the body to function better and reduce the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome.

It boosts whole-body health.

Improving upon your whole-body health will help reduce carpal tunnel issues as well as decrease the severity of other issues. Since some of the understood causes of carpal tunnel syndrome include hypothyroidism, diabetes, and obesity, getting rid of those risk factors will further decrease carpal tunnel problems for you both long- and short-term.