Carpal tunnel syndrome affects millions of Americans at one point in life or another because it can be caused by a wide variety of repetitive hand and wrist motions. Luckily, physical therapy has proven to be an effective tool for adressing carpal tunnel pain and for building strength and flexibility in the affected muscle groups.
Hand Specific Stretches and Exercises
Physical therapy works by identifying the joints and muscle groups that are affected by a physical injury or another medical condition, then building a set of exercises designed to address muscle imbalances and support free movement. In the case of carpal tunnel syndrome, that means a series of hand exercises with a common set of goals. Each of these goals works together to support a healthy muscle balance that reduces repetitive stress on the joints and minimizes carpal tunnel pain.
For carpal tunnel exercises, the goals are to stretch and condition the muscles of the hand, wrist, and forearm together. There are a few different choices for exercises that can balance all of these goals, but the right balance of them differs from one patient to the next.
- Prayer stretches
- Wrist flexor and extensor stretching
- Finger, thumb, and wrist flexibility stretches
In addition to these hand exercises, an ergonomic workstation is an important part of carpal tunnel recovery. A correctly sized and designed workspace reduces the stress that causes pain in the first place and helps reduce the chances of a relapse. Without those precautions, any progress made with exercises will be immediately challenged. There are also tools available to help make the exercises more effective, and you may work with them if you seek out physical therapy near me for your carpal tunnel symptoms.
Tools and Hand Apparatus
There are a lot of tools out there to help with carpal tunnel. Gyro balls that help add weight to wrist training exercises are very popular, for example. Grip strength tools that are commonly seen in weight conditioning are also useful for fighting carpal tunnel symptoms, and they come in a variety of difficulty levels to aid with strength building.
There are also hand appraratus designs that help stabilize the wrist and reduce further injury while you are working or going about your normal day. These are often helpful to prevent reinjury between physical therapy sessions. For those who have carpal tunnel surgery, they are often a necessary part of post-surgical recovery as well. If you seek out physical therapy Kyle TX for hand-related pain, you will probably have a chance to learn more about the variety of training tools available to help you exercise your hand and wrist.
Find Physical Therapy for Chronic Pain and Immobility
CTS is just one of many physical conditions that benefit from organized physical therapy approaches. You can correct most muscle imbalances and address many chronic pain issues affecting practically any area of the body with the right technique, and the broad application of physical therapy as both an alternative to and support for surgical intervention has led to the creation of many new physical therapy jobs recently. Check out your options for treatment today.