Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful disorder of the wrist and hand. When the tissues of the wrist and carpal tunnel (ligaments and tendons) get swollen or inflamed, they press against the median nerve. The median nerve is important in being able to feel the tissues of the hand and work some of the fingers. This pressure can make part of your hand ache or feel numb. Repeating the same movements can cause chronic hand and wrist pain. It’s common in people who use computers, carpenters, athletes, grocery clerks, assembly-line workers, musicians and mechanics. Hobbies, such as gardening, tennis, golf, and kayaking can bring on symptoms. Chronic wrist pain is also common during the last trimester of pregnancy, with diabetes, and with thyroid disorders.
Carpal tunnel treatment views restoring the normal functioning of the hand as key, and takes into consideration
- Hand and wrist pain will improve only when the pressure inside the carpal tunnel is reduced
- The upper extremity is a complicated system of relationships between the hand, arm, and shoulder
- A faulty relationship of the shoulder and arm with the upper body is a common finding in people with hand and wrist pain
- Altered relationships create excessive strain in the soft tissues of the entire arm, with carpal tunnel pain being only one common result
Once injured, wrist and hand pain can become chronic, and treatment will likely be necessary. Carpal tunnel treatment is the result of improving key relationships within the arm, and optimizing the function of the wrist as it relates to the rest of the upper body. You should receive therapy that involves the whole body, the goals being to relieve pain and prevent your wrist from being injured again.
If you’ve rested enough or if physical therapy has not worked for you, the Feldenkrais Method can be used to treat all problems for which surgery isn’t necessary. Feldenkrais uses simple, gentle movements to reorganize posture, flexibility, strength and coordination. Based on the neurological processes by which we learn movement skills, it is a novel approach to carpal tunnel syndrome, harnessing the power of the brain to help the body function more efficiently. More efficient use of self creates environments within which chronic pain can heal, including carpal tunnel syndrome. Feldenkrais helps you to have fun again with all those things for which your wrist now holds you back; discover what it can do for you.
Source by Lori Malkoff