Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

"Hold your arms out horizontally, make a fist, and then point the fist towards the floor, as much as you can. This will stretch one side's tendons. Hold for 5 seconds. Then make a flat hand and hold it level with your arm, hold for 5 seconds. Now splay your fingers and attempt to make your hand point toward the ceiling (this one is hard, so don't push it too much). You should feel your tendons stretching. Repeat this a few times. Take frequent breaks and do this if it starts to hurt a little bit. I was sliding very fast towards CTS and this corrected it."

It worked fine for me. I had real problems with my hands but when I started doing these exercises many times a day, all the pain went away.

Also:

"Good morning houseplants... Yeees it's wake up time..."
"Left, up, right, up, right, down, right, up, right, down, right, down, left... and for the fruit... then finish off the dots."
-- Kid Koala's excellent _Carpal Tunnel Syndrome_ album
(Kid Koala is a turntablist from Montreal and an ex-member of the band Bullfrog).

1. use a trackball or Glidepoint or Eraserhead or tablet instead of a mouse
2. Get a Microsoft Natural Keyboard
3. Don't type for long periods of time
4. If you have a normal keyboard, try putting it in your lap rather than on the desk in front of you.

It has been observed that in people with carpal tunnel syndrome, there can be a deficiency of Vitamin B. Some naturopaths have noted a decrease in symptoms after a few months of treatment with large doses (100-200 mg per day) of Vitamin B6, also known as Pyridoxine.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by too much pressure on the nerve that runs through the wrist. The carpal tunnel is the centre of the wrist. The bones and ligments in the wrist form a tunnel for the tendons and the median nerve to pass through. The median nerve conducts sensation for the thumb and fingers (except the little finger) and muscle impulses for the smaller muscles in the hand, particularly the palm.

There are many causes of carpal tunnel syndrome:

• Aging or repetitive movement causes the synovium around the tendons to become thick and sticky, causing the nerve to press against the tunnel.
• Dislocation or fracture of the wrist can cause bone to protrude into the tunnel, narrowing it and pressing on the nerve.
• Edema (fluid retention) can cause swelling around the nerve. This can arise during pregnancy.
• Diseases, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism, and sarcoidosis can increase pressure on the nerve.

Symptoms include pain, numbness and tingling on the palm side of the thumb, fore finger, middle finger and ring finger. Loss of grip can also occur as the condition worsens. Permanent damage can occur if it is untreated but it is treatable with early diagnosis.

Treatment involves a splint, medication and, in some cases, surgery. Resting the wrist is the first step. Setting up workstations correctly can reduce stress on the wrist. Possible medicinal treatments are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen and, if these fail, a corticosteroid can be injected into the carpal tunnel. These treatments can be temporary or permanent.