Latest news with #carpaltunnel
Health Line
27-06-2025
- Health
- Health Line
How to Relieve Carpal Tunnel Pain at Home
Key takeaways Carpal tunnel pain typically gets better by itself. Lifestyle measures like elevating your wrists and over-the-counter medications can help ease milder symptoms. If your symptoms aren't going away or are severe, consider speaking with a doctor. They can teach you more advanced exercises to relax your hands and relieve your symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment are the best way to prevent permanent nerve damage. Have you felt tingling or numbness in your hands or arms? Has this feeling persisted for several months or gotten worse with time? If so, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). CTS can happen when a nerve in your wrist is pinched. In many instances, this is the result of a typical everyday activity. This includes the frequent use of vibrating hand tools, playing a musical instrument, or manual labor. There's some debate over whether typing or computer work can cause CTS. This disorder typically starts out slowly and gradually. It may affect just one or both of your hands. You may feel numbness or tingling in your fingers, particularly in your index fingers and thumbs. You may also feel an uncomfortable sensation or weakness in your wrists. If you experience mild CTS, you may be able to ease your symptoms with lifestyle changes and medication. Here are nine home remedies for carpal tunnel relief: 1. Take breaks from repetitive tasks Whether you're typing, playing guitar, or using a hand drill, try setting a timer beforehand for 15 minutes. When it goes off, stop what you're doing and wiggle your fingers. Stretching your hands and moving your wrists can help improve blood flow to these areas. 2. Wear splints on your wrists Keeping your wrists straight can help relieve the pressure on your median nerve. Symptoms are more common at night, so wearing a splint in the evening may help relieve your symptoms before they start. If you have issues with repetitive tasks at work, you can also wear wrist splints during the day. 3. Lighten up If you find yourself straining or forcing tasks such as writing, typing, or using a cash register, relax your grip or reduce the force you're using. Try using a soft-grip pen or tapping keys more lightly. 4. Mind your flexion Avoid activities that make your wrists flex to the extreme in either direction. Try keeping your wrists neutral as much as possible. 5. Stay warm Keeping your hands warm can help with pain and stiffness. Consider wearing fingerless gloves or keeping hand warmers nearby. 6. Stretch it out You can do quick wrist exercises while you're standing in line at the grocery store or sitting at your desk at work. For example, make a fist and then slide your fingers until they are straight again. Repeat this action five to 10 times. This can help relieve any pressure on your wrist. 7. Elevate your hands and wrists whenever possible Keeping your hands and wrists elevated whenever possible, is particularly effective if your CTS is caused by pregnancy, fractures, or other issues with fluid retention. 8. Try over-the-counter (OTC) medications OTC pain relievers such as aspirin (Bufferin) and ibuprofen (Advil) may be beneficial. Not only can these relieve any pain you may have, but they can also reduce inflammation around the nerve. 9. Make adjustments to your work environment Carpal tunnel is often most common in people who work in manual jobs, such as catering and cleaning. Where possible, consider invoking changes such as lifting lighter items or taking regular breaks. If these tips and tricks aren't having an effect on your symptoms, consider visiting a physical or occupational therapist. They can teach you more advanced exercises to relax your hands and relieve your symptoms. Traditional treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome More serious cases of carpal tunnel syndrome may require speaking with a doctor. They can recommend corticosteroids to lessen your pain and inflammation. These drugs temporarily reduce the amount of swelling and pressure placed on the median nerve. Injections are more effective than oral steroids. This therapy may be particularly effective if your CTS is caused by inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. A doctor may also recommend surgery, known as carpal tunnel release, to relieve pressure on the nerve. However, they will only recommend this option if your symptoms keep coming back and you are not finding relief from other treatment options like wrist splints or steroid injections. This typically involves making one or two incisions in the area affected and cutting the ligament involved. This will release the nerve and increase the space around the nerve. The ligament will eventually grow back, allowing more space for your nerve than there was before. If your CTS is severe, surgery may not clear up your symptoms completely, but it should help you feel better and help prevent any further damage to the nerve. The bottom line CTS can be painful and disruptive to your daily life. If you've been experiencing symptoms for some time, you should speak with a doctor about ways you can relieve the pain and pressure.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The best wrist braces for carpal tunnel syndrome of 2025, according to hand specialists and health experts
Pain, discomfort and numbness in your fingers can make everyday tasks like pushing a shopping cart or pulling the garbage can to the curb incredibly painful. And while hand and wrist pain can arise from any number of causes, a common culprit is carpal tunnel syndrome. CTS is a neurological condition that occurs when there's compression of the median nerve — one of the three major nerves of the forearm and hand. Pressure on that nerve often results in a tingling sensation, pain and numbness that can make living everyday life more challenging. While it's important to see a health care provider for wrist pain or numbness, one of the most common treatments for mild-to-moderate CTS is bracing. Dr. Raymond Hwang, vice president and medical director at Lantern, says, "Braces help keep the wrist in a neutral, slightly extended position, which relieves pressure on the median nerve as it travels through the carpal tunnel in the wrist. This can reduce numbness, tingling and pain."Certified hand therapist Brenda Cummings says, "Wrist braces for carpal tunnel work by keeping your wrist in a neutral position to alleviate pressure from the median nerve." To be effective, Cummings says, a brace should prevent you from being able to bend your wrist more than 15 degrees in any help find the best wrist braces for CTS, we spoke with orthopedic experts to learn what to look for in carpal tunnel-specific braces, and what to avoid. We learned that a rigid insert or stay (typically made of metal) is key to stabilizing the wrist. These stays may be found on the back of the wrist, the palm of the hand or on both sides. A dorsal support brace (those with stays on the back of the wrist) is often best for CTS since it prevents flexion, but depending on your level of pain or discomfort, a simple wrist brace or wrist wrap worn while sleeping may be the better our experts' feedback, we evaluated more than 20 wrist braces for CTS, rating each based on construction, materials used, breathability, brand reputation, user and in-house tester reviews, cost, comfort and efficacy. These are the eight wrist braces for carpal tunnel that made our cut. Update, June 25, 2025: We checked all product prices and availability. Our No. 1 pick for the best wrist brace for carpal tunnel remains unchanged. Three stages categorize the symptoms and level of severity of carpal tunnel syndrome. Stage 1: Frequently waking in the night with a sensation of a swollen, numb hand or severe pain that radiates from the wrist to the shoulder. There is also tingling in the hand and fingers. After waking, hand stiffness usually persists. Stage 2: The symptoms are present during the day, especially if you stay in the same position for prolonged periods or perform repeated movements or tasks with the hand and wrist. This is the stage where you may have lost so much feeling in your hands and fingers that you frequently drop things. Stage 3: This is the final stage where atrophy can set in and the median nerve may respond poorly even to more advanced treatments like surgical decompression. In this phase, sensory symptoms decline. Comfortable fit: Carpal tunnel braces keep your wrist in a neutral position. Immobilization is important because wrist flexion puts pressure on the median nerve; bracing prevents this pressure. However, in order for the brace to work, it needs to fit correctly. It should be snug enough to provide adequate support, but not so tight that it restricts circulation or causes skin irritation. Material: A big part of comfort has to do with quality materials. Neoprene is one of the best material choices since it offers compression, warmth, elasticity and breathability. Mesh fabric can also add to a brace's overall breathability. Softer materials, like memory foam, can provide padding for additional comfort. Some braces use copper-infused fabrics, which can help deodorize the brace. Most of these wrist braces are not machine-washable, but you can hand-wash some of them. Structure and design: Most braces have a rigid insert on either the dorsal side (i.e., the back of the wrist), the palmar side, or both. Small studies indicate a dorsal support brace may be best for carpal tunnel since it prevents flexion without adding more pressure to the median nerve. Palmar support can be beneficial, too; just make sure that the rigid stays don't press in on the median nerve or that they're removable. Length is also important. "A wrist brace that is too short may apply more pressure to the median nerve," says Cummings. Look for a wrist brace that doesn't stop directly at the wrist and instead extends about halfway up the forearm. Cost: Finally, cost is something to consider. The best wrist brace for you is one that is comfortable and effective, but more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better. To determine the best carpal tunnel braces, our team looked at over 20 different wrist braces and evaluated each based on their efficacy. The truth is, there are many wrist braces on the market, but not all of them work well to alleviate the specific symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. We considered factors like the overall structure and design of the brace, the amount of stability it provides and how comfortable it is to wear. Finally, we consulted two orthopedic experts, including a hand pain specialist and an orthopedic surgeon to get their input on which braces are the best options for CTS. Dr. John Thomas, a board-certified hand surgeon, says that wrist braces can be extremely beneficial for mild to moderate carpal tunnel, especially when used overnight. "Most people like to curl up and fully flex their wrists at night," he says. "This places pressure upon the median nerve in the carpal tunnel and increases symptoms." In addition to bracing, treatments for CTS include oral anti-inflammatory medication, steroid injections and, in severe cases, surgery to decompress the carpal tunnel and increase space for the median nerve. You shouldn't consider wrist braces as a permanent fixture in your life. Instead, Thomas says, they're best worn for a few weeks. If symptoms don't improve, it's a sign you might need to try a more intensive form of treatment. Dr. Melissa Boyette, an orthopedic surgeon, says, "I would caution against wearing a brace longer than a few weeks if a physician has not evaluated you." She warns that prolonged bracing can lead to stiffness and weakness in the forearms and wrists. Hwang recommends taking frequent hand/wrist stretching breaks, especially for those with repetitive hand motions at work. He also says, "Prevention through ergonomic workstations, exercises, and avoiding excessive wrist bending is important for those at risk." You can also try oral anti-inflammatory medication or a pain-relieving cream for immediate relief. Dr. Melissa Boyette, orthopedic surgeon; hand and wrist specialist, Bradenton, Fla. Brenda Cummings, OTD, OTR, CHT, certified hand therapist, Fort Collins, Colo. Dr. Raymond Hwang, orthopedic surgeon and medical director at Hinge Health Dr. John Thomas, orthopedic hand surgeon, New York City Our health content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional on questions about your health.
