TAKE TIME TO STRETCH AND FLEX HANDS
AND WRISTS

If you have ever woke up in the middle of the night and your hand is numb, or if you have started to write or type a short note and you feel a sharp pain shoot up through your wrist, you may be experiencing symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Most adults at one point or another can be susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome. It can affect office workers, construction personnel, mechanics and many others. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the result of abnormal pressure placed on the median nerve at the wrist and it is most often caused by an injury or repetitive work as well as by the natural aging process. When pressure on the wrist continues to occur over time, progressive pain, numbness, tingling and weakness can occur. The only way to correctly diagnosis this condition is to see your doctor. There are, though, simple prevention techniques you can start today that may assist in decreasing these symptoms.

No matter what your profession or activity, one of the most important things we can do is to regularly take time out of our day to stretch our wrists, arms and shoulders. We spend hours every day bent over a work surface using our hands and arms. We need to stretch our shoulders up and back, extend our elbows out, and stretch our wrists and fingers forward and back to counter act the flexed position we normally have while working. Try to take five brief breaks throughout the day performing each stretch five times.

If you tend to wake up in the morning and your hands are numb, it could be because most people tend to sleep in odd positions that can put increased pressure on the wrist. Remember to stretch your arms and wrists if you wake up during the night and again first thing in the morning. In addition, some people have found relief by using a wrist splint that will help keep wrists in a neutral position at night.

If you spend a great deal of time keyboarding or working on a computer, there are steps you can take to decrease the stress on your wrists, arms and shoulders. When setting up a work site, your elbows should be positioned as close to 90 degrees from the keyboard as possible and there should be a comfortable, padded place to set your wrists. You should have a good chair that adjusts in height and provides good support for your lower back. Feet should remain flat on the floor or on a footrest. In addition, the monitor should be positioned at a height that allows the head and neck to be in a neutral position.

These are just a few simple techniques that you can easily complete to help decrease the symptoms of carpal tunnel from occurring. If you experience any of these and they continue to be persistent or worsen, please contact your doctor for a thorough assessment.

Barb Webb, an occupational therapist at Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake, specializes in developing occupational therapy programs for patients with hand, wrist and arm problems.