Is it Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

     With all the work we do on our smart phones, tablets, and computers, it's not surprising that many of us suffer from pain in our arms, hands, and fingers.  It's easy to write off the swelling, numbness, tingling, and general discomfort as carpal tunnel syndrome.  However, I've worked with several clients who had surgery for such a diagnosis with little to no relief.  So if it's not CTS, what's the problem?

First, let's clarify what Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is:
     The carpal tunnel is an opening in the wrist made up of the carpal bones, ligaments, and other fibrous tissues.  With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, the median nerve and tendons traveling through this passageway become compressed when the carpal tunnel is swollen or restricted.  This compression causes numbness and tingling of the wrists, hands, and fingers.

     More commonly though, the impingement of the thoracic outlet (the opening between your collarbone and upper ribs where the nerves and blood vessels pass through to supply the arms and hands) is actually the root of all these symptoms.  When the muscles (i.e. the scalenes) around this opening become tight and shortened, they pull the first rib up against the collarbone, restricting blood, lymph, and nerve supply to the arms, which ultimately causes all the same symptoms as carpal tunnel syndrome.  (The pectoralis minor, triceps, brachialis, and some of the forearm muscles can also become tight and impinge nerves of the arms and hands.)

If it is truly CTS, where most of the restriction is at the wrist, maintaining proper body mechanics, stretching your hands and forearms throughout the day, and avoiding poor sleep habits (like bending your wrists or tucking them under your pillow all night) should alleviate many of the symptoms.

I also use contrast bathes frequently for my forearms and hands.  Ice water submersion for 1-2 minutes, then hot water for the same - just go back and forth about 3 to 5 times, always ending with the ice water!  This basically creates a forced circulation, pushing blood out with the ice water then opening up the blood vessels and tissue to new oxygenated blood with the hot.  It works wonders.

If your symptoms seem to be stemming from further up the arm - maybe even into the shoulder and neck - your scalenes (anterior, medial, and posterior) and pectoralis minor are most likely the main culprits. 

Check out my previous post - Shoulder Pain - for stretches and exercises to alleviate tightness and pain in the shoulders and neck.

On a semi-side note, POSTURE is everything!  Check in with your posture throughout the day; you'll probably be amazed by how curved forward and curled up you can get while engrossing yourself in work (or a Netflix binge).  Sit up straight, lift the crown of your head to the ceiling, and let those shoulders fall back.  This might seem easier said than done, but with massage, self care, and stretching, you can absolutely work your way to less pain with better posture.

And I'll leave you with this.  :)

Shoulder Pain

     With all the advances in technology, we, as a society, spend a lot of our time on computers, smart phones, and tablets.  That's all fine, until our bodies start protesting. The human body needs movement.  It seems simple enough, but unfortunately, most jobs these days lend themselves to eye strain, poor posture, and long hours of sitting, which leads to stagnation throughout muscle fibers and the fascial, circulatory, and digestive systems.

I gave you guys a couple of low back/hip flexor stretches in my previous post: Fascia & Myofascial Release, so today, I'm going to address shoulder pain.

Most people's area of complaints involve these muscles:

And here are some great ways to stretch them all out!

This stretch helps re-align the cervical spine, improves breathing, and aids in good posture.  You can do it five or six times a day, and people that carry bags over one shoulder or work at a computer all day should do this stretch daily.

- Place your right hand on the left side of your head.

- Tilt your head to the right.

- Gently push down with your right hand until you feel a maximum stretch.

- Slowly rotate your head to look up at the ceiling.

- Hold for five deep breaths.

- Repeat on opposite side.

This stretch is a great chest/shoulder opener.  It reduces shoulder and neck pain by stretching the short, tight anterior muscles of the shoulder, and giving the tired, overextended posterior muscles a break.

Wall pectoral stretch:

- Place your hand and forearm flat on the wall at a 90 degree angle.

- Turn your entire torso away from your arm to stretch your shoulder joint/chest.

- Hold for two counts. Repeat 10 times.

- Switch sides.

Doorway pectoral stretch:

(You can either do both shoulders at the same time, but I personally feel like I get a deeper stretch doing one at a time.  REMEMBER! If you do one at a time, turn your ENTIRE torso away from your arm.)

- Place one foot forward and your forearms flat on the door frame.

- Let your weight shift to the forward foot to stretch across your chest.

- The higher your place your arms on the doorway, the deeper the stretch.

Time to stretch those triceps! (And also, a little bit of your teres major/minor, latissimus dorsi, and posterior deltoid fibers.)  So many of my clients suffer from tight posterior upper arms, and this is a great way to open up the back of your shoulder joint.

Please note: If you can't reach your hands together, don't fret!  A LOT of people can't, and honestly, I think you save yourself shoulder strain AND you can get a better stretch by using a towel, belt, or scarf.

- Holding your towel in your right hand, raise your right arm straight up.

- Bend the arm at the elbow, resting your hand in between your scapulas.

- Reach behind your back with your left arm until you have hold of your towel.

- Gently pull down with your left arm until you feel a stretch through your tricep/outside of your shoulder area.

- Hold for 20 seconds, working up to five deep breaths.

- Switch sides. Repeat.

And there are also these!

Happy Stretching!