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Exercises to Relieve CTSCarpal tunnel is just one of many interrelated cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) on the rise in workplaces across the country. Experts consider them chronic misuse of parts of the body — repetitive wear and tear. How you sit affects your posture which puts stress on your shoulder which makes your forearm muscles work harder. How your desk is set up in relation to your chair puts an extra strain on your arms, wrists, and hands, and if your feet aren’t properly supported, your spine gets out of alignment which É you get the picture. How long you remain chained to your desk can exacerbate the problem. CTDs may have multiple symptoms, making it harder for doctors to pinpoint and treat the underlying injuries. And many specialists believe psychological stress, causing us to tense our muscles and tendons, is another strong risk factor.
Don’t neglect seeking treatment if you notice any of the following symptoms in a shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, or hand:
• burning
pain away from work, especially at night
• localized pain or dull ache whether moving or still
• tenderness to the touch
• radiating pain that travels along the arm or shoulder
• tingling and numbness
• loss of coordination or muscle control
• stiffness
A CTD affects the muscles, tendons, and joints. It may begin with muscle strain, caused not by forceful movements but by chronic tensing combined with repetitive movement. Poor circulation brought on by static sitting also contributes to muscle strain.
Tendons connect muscle to bone, and chronic tensing leads to inflammation in both the tendons themselves (tendinitis) and in the tendon sheaths that surround them and fill with fluid when irritated (tenosynovitis). Tennis elbow and rotator cuff tendinitis are common tendon ailments. De Quervain’s disease affects typists who constantly extend their thumbs to reach the space bar.
Joints use ligaments to connect bone to bone, and overextending your range of movement can create joint problems at the shoulder and elbow. Bursitis is the most common recurring joint injury — when the bursae, fluid-filled sacs that cushion joints and unsheathed tendons, become irritated and inflamed.
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Any of these injuries can contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome, which is so debilitating if not caught early. The carpal (wrist) tunnel is a narrow protective passageway made of bone and ligaments. Nine tendons, plus blood vessels and the median nerve, pass through it, connecting the forearm muscles with the hand and fingers.
When one or more of those tendons becomes irritated and swollen, it presses on the median nerve, causing pain, numbness and tingling in the hand, especially the thumb and first three fingers. Left untreated, the tendons can toughen, thicken, and develop permanent scar tissue, severely reducing hand and finger movement.
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The good news is, treatment at the first sign of disturbance, combined with changes in work habits, can reverse the course of carpal tunnel syndrome. Those behavior changes include:
• applying
sound ergonomic principles to your workspace (see box)
• watching your posture
• breaking up your routine with tasks that get you away from the
computer and out of your chair
• exercising — even for five minutes several times a day
Anti-inflammatory medicines (aspirin or ibuprofen) will ease the pain, but will not solve the problem. Relying on a wrist splint or wrist rest can actually make the problem worse over time. In some severe cases, surgery may be necessary. But massage therapy has been shown to relieve inflammation and promote healing without surgery. And specialized techniques such as “soft tissue release” — combined with self-help exercises (like those on the next page) — have brought immediate, dramatic, and lasting relief to thousands of sufferers.
