Yoga Can Be Used in Carpal Tunnel syndrome Treatment
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011Carpal Tunnel Syndrome often abbreviated as the acronym CTS, is an illness that manifests itself in parasthesia, numbness, and weakness in the hand or hands. Parasthesia is numbness or prickling feelings, colloquially known as “pins and needles”. The primary cause is the compression of the median nerve at the wrist. The condition can be treated with carpal tunnel exercises using yoga.
While many people believe carpal tunnel means you have problems in your arms, it’s actually the wrist that contains the problem. When the area swells and builds up fluids, the median nerve becomes compressed. How exactly CTS is caused remains a mystery, but most of it is from genetics. Then of course you can find information on environmental factors being the culprit as well.
CTS is often a misdiagnosis for Repetitive Strain Injury, or RSI. In RSI, prolonged periods of repetitive use of the hands can cause pain, numbness, and weakness. This is a common complaint among those who spend a lot of time typing on a keyboard of some description. Though there is little medical evidence to prove its existence, RSI has become recognized as one of the risks of modern living.
There is no established medical connection between RSI and CTS, though many believe they are related. Overuse of the hands causes excess fluids to build in the carpal tunnel, and the flexor tendons for the fingers can also swell. Either of these two events can lead to compression of the median nerve, causing CTS.
Your CTS can start healing and be prevented by the simplest procedures. Things such as changing your work environment or behavior are a great place to start when combating CTS. For example, try sitting up straight at your desk. Once you’re in this position, move your keyboard, mouse, and computer monitor in the appropriate positions. Basically making sure you have the first two levels at your desk, and the monitor focusing on your eye level. These are the beginning steps because once each one is in place the domino effect will begin. Your proper posture will reduce stress on areas of the body and promote a better workday.
When you look over all the information related to carpal tunnel, there are several treatments available. Choosing the right one for you shouldn’t be too difficult, but we’ll go over them anyways. First, you can go ahead and have surgery, but the constant visits to the doctor and going through rehab can be mentally and financially draining. Then of course you can get a couple quick shots of steroids in, but this is only a short-term solution. Then of course the little things like modifications at work and taking frequent breaks are all ways to help your carpal tunnel.
Carpal tunnel exercises are probably the most important part of your prevention and healing process. If you can hold off on all the other drastic attempts to repair CTS, taking advantage of yoga is the easy way out. You will find yourself enjoying a healing process for your carpal tunnel, as well as other issues you may have with the body in other regions. The end result will always be a healthier you.
Treating carpal tunnel syndrome with going under the knife can be a mistake. Not only is invasive going under the knife costly and difficult to recover from, but in the case of this repetitive stress injury it’s often ineffective.A holistic alternative is yoga and other related carpal tunnel exercises that can be performed right from one’s home, for free.
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