Do You Have Numbness and Tingling In Your Hands?
Without getting into a lot of technical mumbo jumbo, carpal tunnel syndrome is basically where a person experiences pain, numbness and tingling in their hands and fingers. This could be something that a person deals with on a daily basis; it could also be something that a person experiences after doing a specific activity or repetitive motion; or it could happen only on an occasional basis.
HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?
There are several nerves that run down the arm that then branch out into smaller nerves and go to different parts of your arm. The major nerve is the brachial plexus, which then branches out to a nerve that runs all the way down your arm and into your hand. This nerve is called the median nerve.
Carpal tunnel happens when this nerve (the median nerve) is pressed, squeezed or impinged. When the muscles of your forearm become tight through a repetitive motion (like computer work, pulling weeds in your yard, etc.) this nerve gets pinched and then causes numbness and/or tingling throughout your hand and fingers.
OTHER SYMPTOMS OF CARPAL TUNNEL
Numbness and tingling are the most common symptoms of carpal tunnel, however there are other symptoms also.
They are:
- loss of a sense of touch
- pain in your shoulder at night, pain in your elbow or possibly some swelling in your wrist
- pain in your wrist when you either flex or extend it (like putting your hands in prayer position).
- loss of the grip strength in your hand
- dropping things more often than usual
- burning sensation in your wrist or hand
- being unable to take a jar lid off or pain when putting it back on
OTHER AREAS OF CONCERN
A lot of people think that carpal tunnel is only located in the wrist area of your arm, however, we fail to recognized that the median nerve had to come from somewhere. Working the forearm and wrist area is a fantastic idea, however, another major area that needs to be worked extensively is the neck and shoulder, specifically the muscles that attach underneath your clavicle (collar bone). These muscles are often forgotten when dealing with carpal tunnel because the majority of people do not have pain in the area around their clavicle. They are focused on the pain that is in their wrist.
HOW MASSAGE CAN HELP
Whether you have been diagnosed with carpal tunnel or just feel some occasional numbness and tingling in your fingers or hand, there are several things that can be done during a massage session to help alleviate your symptoms. The massage can focus either on your forearms, your arms or your neck and shoulder; however, I would recommend working at least all of them extensively in order to make sure that all the muscles that could be causing the problem are given a chance to relax.
There are also stretches that can help with carpal tunnel. There are specific ones that work with the muscles that are causing the nerve impingement. If you believe that you may have some carpal tunnel issues, please ask me and I can put together some stretching techniques that will help.
IN CONCLUSION
Another thing to consider when you are having tightness/soreness in any muscle–is that this tightness/soreness did not happen overnight. In other words, in regards to carpal tunnel, you did not wake up one day and magically had carpal tunnel. It happened over a period of time. The same thing applies to massage. All your symptoms and your tightness/soreness will not disappear after one massage session. Yes, you will feel better and your muscles will be relaxed and feeling better than when you came in; however, it won’t be long before the muscles will tighten back up again. The more that you can come in for a session, the better chance your muscles get used to the idea that relaxed is good and they will get used to being in that state more and more.
As much as my hands can help you to feel better, they still aren’t magical and can’t make everything go away, right away. Through consistent massage/bodywork and stretching, your numbness and tingling could be a thing of the past. But again consistency is the key.
DISCLAIMER~THIS ARTICLE IS NOT MEANT TO REPLACE THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN. IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE CARPAL TUNNEL, THEN PLEASE CONTACT YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.