Every dental hygienist knows the importance of hand exercises in preventing carpal tunnel syndrome. I originally designed these hand exercises for dental hygienists specifically because of Vicky.
Alarmed because hand tingling and numbness were threatening her career in dentistry, she phoned me asking for help.
Here's what happened...
The hand exercises for dental hygienists I designed didn't just happen. It was several years ago when I heard the distress in Vicki’s voice. It rang loud and clear about the possibility of losing her career.
She was frightened and nervous because
hand numbness and tingling were getting in the way of her job performance and patient care. Her anxiety peaked with the news of her pregnancy and a bout of buyer’s remorse over a kitchen remodeling project.
The poor woman needed some uplifting news. And she was delighted when I assured her that she could eliminate her symptoms with the proper carpal tunnel syndrome exercises and that her career was secure.
But the point of this article is that Vicki’s story is a precautionary tale for ALL dental professionals.
Like most carpal tunnel syndrome patients, Vicky saw symptoms come on slowly. About 6 months ago, Vicki noticed intermittent numbness and tingling in her right hand when scraping calculus and tartar build-up. At first, an occasional hand "shake-out" was enough to relieve her symptoms. But the occasional shake-out turned into frequent rubbing, waving, and jiggling.
Then her other hand started to show similar signs. Vicki visited her family doctor who told her to wear braces while working.
Her doctor was totally mistaken! No one with carpal tunnel symptoms (tingling, numbness, pain, weakness) should EVER wear a hand brace unless they’re completely resting. Find out why you should only wear a carpal tunnel brace at night here.
In part due to her doctor’s uninformed advice (I frequently educate family doctors about the dangers of day-time bracing), Vicki’s symptoms quickly worsened. Just putting on her dental loupes made her hands go numb.
That’s when she found me - while surfing for help on the Web. And just in time before she entered the stage of severe carpal tunnel syndrome.
Barely a day goes by without someone in a dental field reaching out to me. The profession is rife with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Why? The tools of the trade require gripping and rapid hand or finger movements. That’s a sure-fire recipe for carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a type of repetitive stress injury.
The statistics support what you probably already know first hand. The
Journal of Dental Hygiene reports that 75% of dental hygienists have hand problems. And 56% exhibit classic carpal tunnel symptoms.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can benefit from Vicki’s story and anxieties by following these exercises I designed for her. They take only 60 seconds to do in between patients. This tiny investment of time will pay huge dividends.
Work this small precaution into your daily routine and chances are you’ll never be bothered by symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
In other words, it only takes 60 seconds to keep your hands safe from carpal tunnel.
To help you remember the exercises, I made up a mnemonic for you called F.H.P.I – check it out below!
Fine Hygienists Prevent Injury ("F. H. P. I.")
Every single busy dental pro can prevent the signs of carpal tunnel syndrome. These simple hand exercises for dental hygienists will keep your hands healthy. In fact, they're among the most effective of all carpal tunnel syndrome treatments. Do them AS PRESCRIBED.
And because they’re completed in just 60 seconds, there’s no excuse to complain:
“I don’t have time to exercise in the office.”
Yes you have time! Because they're simple and fast. You can do them in between patients.
To get the maximum benefit, you must do these exercises in the sequence given below. Each individual exercise:
Grab each finger, one by one, and gently pull it backward. You’ll feel stretching near the base. Hold it there for 2 seconds. As you pull your thumb back, also move it around like a helicopter blade. You may feel popping in one or more fingers, but that’s normal. This exercise stretches finger tendons and facilitates tendon lubrication.
Extend your arm straight out in front with fingers pointing up as if you’re saying “Hi!” Now use your other hand and pull your upturned fingers backward. Hold this for 5 seconds then release. Switch arms and repeat. Then drop both hands to your sides and shake them out a few seconds. If they feel warm, it means blood flow is getting to your hands. That’s a good sign. Repeat this exercise once again.
The “prayer” position is one of the best exercises because it stretches the entire forearm tendons. Simply bring your hands together as if praying. Keep them close to your chest, with fingers pointing up. While both palms are held together, raise your elbows slowly. Don’t move your shoulders. Maintain this for 5 seconds. Next, drop your hands and shake them out vigorously. Repeat the exercise once again. Your forearms should feel stretched or even sore. This exercise breaks tendon adhesions along the entire tendon’s length. Therefore, it’s terrific because flexor tendons run from your fingertips to your forearm.
This is an Individual myofascial release massage. While not as effective as using two thumbs, it still kneads the interior area of your wrist joint. Use the other thumb and press it into your forearm, just below your hand. Feel the ropy tendons below the skin? Rub them deeply and circularly for 10 seconds. Repeat this for your other hand. Next, hold your hands above your head. Make fists and rotate them several times, as if making big circles. Switch direction and rotate them again. As a result, excess fluid will drain out from the carpal tunnel. This is an abbreviated form of myofascial release therapy yet still a good and fast exercise for dental hygienists.
Fast and simple, right? Well, fast and simple once you’ve practiced them a few times.
Just do this 60 second routine between patients to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.
If these fast exercises for dental hygienists don’t do the trick, your symptoms are probably too far advanced for exercises alone.
No worries! We’ve got you covered. Contact me (Dr. Z) through this website and I'll help you as best I can.
Good luck and thanks for reading!
