Remedy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

From Dr. Z - Carpal tunnel syndrome specialist

Remedy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Table of Contents

   Non-Surgical Options

  1. Wrist Bracing at Night
  2. Rest
  3. Stretching Exercises
  4. Avoiding Stressful & Repetitive Motions
  5. Keeping Your Hands Warm
  6. Massage Therapy
  7. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
  8. Corticosteroid Injections

   Summary

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be managed with a combination of home remedies and medical treatments. Home remedies include rest, wrist bracing, stretching exercises, massage, and avoiding stressful or repetitive motions. Medical treatments may involve steroid injections or in severe cases, surgery.


Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition where the median nerve, which runs through the carpal tunnel inside the wrist, becomes compressed. Initially, this can cause pain, numbness, burning, and tingling in the hand and fingers. As the disorder advances toward the severe stage, these symptoms worsen. More advanced symptoms also include shooting electric shocks, weakness, clumsiness, and loss of temperature sensitivity.


Treating carpal tunnel can be done non-surgically (conservatively) or with surgery. The vast majority of people choose non-surgical remedies because studies show they provide results equal to or better than surgery.


Since most people use non-surgical therapies, especially home remedies, this article focuses on those specific treatment options.



man in pain

Non-surgical options

Approximately 5 million American sufferer with carpal tunnel syndrome. And approximately 96% of them treat it successfully without surgery.


When you have moderate or severe carpal tunnel symptoms you will likely require two or more of the following non-surgical treatments:


1. Wrist Bracing at Night: Wearing a wrist brace at night can help keep your wrist in a neutral position. This reduces pressure on the median nerve. 


2. Rest: Simply resting your hand for 2-3 weeks should relieve symptoms. More severe symptoms may require even more rest. 


3. Stretching Exercises: Gentle stretching exercises can help relieve pain and improve hand function. Simple stretches include shaking out your hands, making a fist and then extending fingers, and rotating your wrists. More advanced stretching exercises of the fingers and hand can make tendons more limber, thereby reducing inflammation inside the wrist joint.


4. Avoiding Stressful & Repetitive Motions:  You can modify your activity or even use ergonomic devices to help avoid or reduce hand stress.


5. Keeping Your Hands Warm:  Cold environments are a known risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome. Therefore, maintaining hand warmth (like using gloves) can help reduce stiffness and pain. 


6. Massage Therapy: Daily massages of the wrist area can loosen adhesions around tendons. This reduces inflammation and helps improve blood flow. 


7. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs): Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or naproxen can reduce inflammation and pain. 


8. Corticosteroid Injections: Injections of corticosteroids into the wrist's carpal tunnel space can provide temporary relief by reducing inflammation. 

1. Wrist Bracing at Night

man sleeping with a wrist brace

The reason we get carpal tunnel syndrome is because of fluid pressure that's built-up inside the wrist joint. That pressure pushes on the median nerve, thereby damaging it. The pressure can be increased even more if you bend your hand forward or backward. But wearing a wrist brace while sleeping prevents bending. 


TIPS

2. Rest Your Hand

a hand resting on satin

Rest is the body's way to combat trauma and restore balance to stressed tissues. It also restores blood flow to transport oxygen and nutrients. 


A good long resting period (2-3 weeks) is perfect for this. But most epople don't have that luxury.


Instead, adopt a "rest routine" for treating carpal tunnel. For example, take a 1 minute rest break for every hour you work. During this break do stretching exercises (see below).

3. Stretching Exercises

hand stretching exercise

Stretching exercises relieve carpal tunnel syndrome by restoring health to tendons running from the fingers to the forearm.


The best carpal tunnel stretching exercises take less than a minute to complete. These are the "core exercises" for carpal tunnel syndrome. The core exercises perform 3 distinct functions. They lubricate tendons, break up adhesions and restrictions, and promote blood circulation. 


You should perform these core stretching exercises at least 4 times per day. Also do them after any stressful hand activity.

4. Avoiding Stressful & Repetitive Motions

a vertical ergonomic mouse

You can modify your activity or even use ergonomic devices to help avoid hand stress. The modifications should minimize repetitive hand movements, wrist flexion, and other harmful hand activities. 


TIPS

  • Take short breaks from activities that cause numbness and pain. 
  • Adjust your work or home environments to minimize repetitive hand movements and wrist flexion. 
  • Pay attention to harmful activities that worsen symptoms, such as prolonged typing, gripping, or using vibrating tools. 
  • Pay attention to how you sit (or stand) while working. (Is your chair comfortable and at the right level?)
  • Is there a tool or method to perform the same job with fewer or less strenuous movements? 
  • Most people who type on a computer benefit greatly from an ergonomic mouse and keyboard.

5. Keeping Your Hands Warm

fingerless gloves

Cold environments can cause carpal tunnel symptoms to appear. Therefore, if you work outdoors or in a low-temperature facility, be sure to wear gloves.


Keeping you hands warm can help reduce stiffness and pain. It can also help avoid progression of carpal tunnel syndrome.

6. Massage Therapy

performing myofascial massage on a patient

One of the most effective carpal tunnel remedies is called "myofascial massage". While a vibration massager can be harmful if you have carpal tunnel, myofascial massage actually restores damaged tissues. 


When properly performed, this remedy has a 97% effectiveness rate against carpal tunnel syndrome.


Myofascial massage facilitates lymphatic drainage and loosens adhesions that cause restrictions and inflammation around tendons. The CarpalRx performs this massage automatically, at home.

7. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

NSAID medicines

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs or NSAIDs include over-the-counter pain relievers like naproxen (Aleve), ibuprofen (Advil), or acetaminophen (Tylenol). These reduce inflammation and pain. 


Note that pain relievers are only a temporary solution for  carpal tunnel syndrome. They never should be taken for long periods of time due to their potential damage to your kidneys and liver.

8. Corticosteroid Injections

steroid injection into the wrist

Your doctor can inject corticosteroid medicine into the carpal tunnel space. This can provide temporary relief by reducing inflammation. 


There are 2 main downsides with this remedy.

  1. The injections are about 45% successful. The more severe you symptoms, the less their effectiveness.
  2. The injections are only a temporary solution. When they do work, the effect lasts 2-4 months before symptoms return again. But due to their side effects, additional injections must be carefully considered.

Summary

The most effective remedy for carpal tunnel syndrome involves one or more non-surgical approaches. These include night bracing, rest, stretching exercise, and massage, among others. Mild cases of carpal tunnel may be relieved quickly using any one of these therapies. But more severe symptoms probably require multiple remedies applied simultaneously.

About

Biography: Dr. Z - CarpalRx Medical Director & author

Dr. Maik Zannakis (Dr. Z) 

Medical Director at the CarpalRx


Dr. Z is an acclaimed medical scientist renowned for his expertise in carpal tunnel syndrome and soft tissue disorders. With over 40 years of experience, he is credited with hundreds of medical journal publications and hundreds more web articles about carpal tunnel syndrome. After inventing the CarpalRx, Dr. Z became the go-to expert for carpal tunnel syndrome and wrist tendonitis. His opinions, inventions, and personalized care have distinguished Dr. Z as a trusted leader in this growing field. Read full Bio


Email: dr.z@carplarx.com

Phone: 800-450-6118