It has been estimated that three percent of the population in the Unites States suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), the most common of repetitive stress injuries. The injury related to the overuse of wrist and hand muscles affects many industries, including assembly line workers, musicians and office workers.

Treatments for repetitive stress injuries (RSI) and carpal tunnel include medications, splints and resting of the hand and wrist. Surgery made the last resort made for serious CTS cases. However, there are some cases where the patient doesn’t see an immediate relief from these treatments and are compelled to find alternative CTS treatments to ease symptoms, such as numbness and tingling of the hands and fingers.

Carpal tunnel yoga is a new age treatment that is believed to relieve pain the wrist and increase the strength in the ailing hand. Yoga improves the body’s overall posture and endurance and there are a variety of different poses, such as chair twists, Downward Dog with chair and 90 degree forward bends to a wall, that provide relief. Some studies have even concluded that carpal tunnel yoga is more effective than wearing a splint on your wrist.

Because you will often feel shooting pains or experience swelling in your wrist and hand, carpal tunnel massage is another alternative treatment you may want to look into. Look into these various massage techniques to ease your wrist pain:

• Swedish massage uses tapping and kneading strokes to loosen joints and relieve muscle tension. The five basic strokes in Swedish massage are: tapping or beating strokes; vibration of the muscle; stroking; the grabbing and lifting of muscles; and friction using the thumbs and fingertips in deep circles.
• Neuromuscular massage is applied to individual muscles to increase blood flow, release pressure and reduce pain.
• Skull and spinal massage therapy uses extremely light pressure to the bones and membranes that surround these areas.

The Eastern influence has also led CTS sufferers to believe that acupuncture is another form of treatment. Research is still continuing to prove its success. A chiropractor can also realign your joints and bones in rehabilitating exercises, which include the twisting, pushing and pulling movements of the wrist and forearm.

Individuals with CTS can also look into carpal tunnel herbs and vitamins to promote a healthier lifestyle and improve their pain from within. Some people take vitamin B6 is a supplement that promotes protein metabolism, red blood cell metabolism and a healthy nervous and immune system. Originally used to treat depression, St. John’s wort helps to recuperate damaged nerves by reducing pain and swelling. Flaxseed oil is a fatty acid that can also reduce inflammation of the area. Lastly, turmeric contains anti-inflammatory chemicals to treat pain and has been widely compared to cortisone.

Depending on your own lifestyle, there is a treatment out there to suit anyone. If you’re not sure about which alternative treatment to pursue, speak with your health professional for their specialized guidance with your specific case.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may be the punch line of a million office jokes, but the consequences of this physical, work-related disorder are actually quite serious.

Symptoms of CTS include:

• Numbness of the hands and wrists
• Inability to grip or hold common household items
• Loss of pinch strength between thumb and forefinger
• Atrophying of the thumb muscles

Here are some simple exercises you can do at your workspace that will help keep CTS and repetitive stress disorder at bay.  The following should take place during “micro-breaks” throughout the day.  A micro-break is a short, 2-3 minute rest period taken every hour to avoid stiffness and muscle soreness.

1. Full body stretching.   Face the nearest wall and reach up as high as you can.  As you stretch, place your feet firmly on the ground.  Now firm up your legs and begin to reach down, moving your hands slowly along the wall.  Move down as low as you can without discomfort – then hold that position for five seconds.  Repeat five times.
2. Forearm and wrist exercise.  Standing alongside the wall, place your right palm flat against the wall.  Extended your elbow until your arm is straight, and then press your palm into the wall.  Now take a breath and move your head to the left, moving your right shoulder blade in towards the front of your body.  Hold this position and then take a deep breath.  Repeat.
3. Stretching while sitting.  Sit upright in your chair with your  head resting in a comfortable position on your neck.  Now, bring your hands down to the seat of the chair (behind your back) and slowly rotate your shoulders back, pushing your shoulder blades back as you go.
4. Helping your hands.   Extend your arms and stretch out your hands and fingers as if they were in a “handstand” position.  Hold for five seconds and then release.  Next, straighten your hands and relax your fingers.  Shake the fingers a little for circulation.  Now make a tight fist with each hand.  Bend both wrists straight down while continuing to make the fist.  Hold this position for five seconds.  Now let your arms and hands hang down at your sides.  Shake your arms and legs until they feel loose.  Repeat these hand exercises ten times each day.
5. Have you hugged your knees today? In order to strengthen the back during long periods of sitting, try the following:  grab one of your legs with both hands.  Now pull that leg up to your chest.  Hug your leg for five seconds and then release.  Now repeat with the other leg.
6. Back bends.  Stand up from your chair and try the following exercise designed to strengthen your lower back, joints and hips.  Simply place your hands on your hips and bend slowly backwards.  Hold the position for three seconds, but make sure that the position you are in does not cause pain.  Repeat this exercise five times.

Remember, the secret to avoiding carpal tunnel lies in the micro-break.  Force yourself to get up at regular intervals throughout the day at perform the exercises above.  You will greatly reduce the chance of work-related illnesses…and improve your health to boot!