The carpal tunnel is a narrow passage surrounded by bones and ligaments on the palm side of the wrist. A compressed nerve in the carpal tunnel causes carpal tunnel syndrome. This compression leads to pain, weakness, numbness and tingling in the fingers, wrist and arm. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that affects many people around the world. Special exercises and stretches are one effective way to ease carpal tunnel symptoms. In this article, we look at how carpal tunnel exercises help and how to do them.
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What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is more common in women than in men. The reasons for this are not clear. Women may notice certain symptoms during pregnancy, but in these cases the problems usually disappear after pregnancy. The cause is hormonal or metabolic changes, so symptoms can also appear during the menopause or with a thyroid imbalance. People with diabetes, obesity or rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. However, frequent and repeated gripping movements of the hands can also be to blame, for example during certain physical activities or sports. Wrist pain can make it harder to do work that involves a lot of repetitive movements. The risk of carpal tunnel symptoms is especially high where the wrist is under strain.
Patients with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome often ask: “Can it be treated without surgery?” The answer is “yes”, as long as the condition is diagnosed early and the symptoms are not severe.
Many people with carpal tunnel syndrome have mild or moderate symptoms that come and go. In these cases, wearing a splint, avoiding too much strain on the joint or exercising may be enough to bring relief.
Carpal tunnel exercises and why they matter
Exercises and stretches designed to ease or relieve carpal tunnel syndrome have several key aims:
- Relaxing the muscles: Doing exercises regularly can help relax the muscles in the wrist and nearby areas, which can reduce pressure on the nerves. Tight muscles can make carpal tunnel symptoms worse.
- Improving blood flow: Exercises and stretches can also improve blood flow to the wrist and hand. This can help supply the nerves with more oxygen and nutrients, which can support healing.
- Strengthening the muscles: Some exercises focus on strengthening the muscles, which can help stabilise the wrist and reduce pressure on the nerves.
- Improving flexibility: Stretching can improve the flexibility of the joints and muscles around the wrist, which can lower the risk of injury and improve the overall mobility of the hand.
What are the basic exercises for preventing or easing symptoms?
Here are a few examples of exercises you can try. The exercises can be designed to improve or maintain your current condition or for rehabilitation. Start each exercise slowly. If you feel pain, stop the exercise and rest. With practice, you will find out which exercises feel comfortable and in what order they suit you best.
💡 Tip: Even when you no longer feel pain or numbness, we recommend that you keep exercising to prevent the symptoms from coming back. At the same time, do not do any exercises that feel uncomfortable or painful.
Basic stretch
- Turn your wrists up, down and from side to side. Repeat 4 times.
- Spread your fingers wide apart. Relax them and then stretch them again. Repeat 4 times
- Stretch your thumb by gently pulling it back, holding it and then releasing it. Repeat 4 times.
Prayer stretch
- Start with your palms together in front of your chest, just below your chin.
- Slowly lower your hands towards your waist, keeping them close to your stomach and your palms together, until you feel a mild to moderate stretch in your forearms.
- Hold for at least 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 4 times.
Wrist flexor stretch
- Stretch your arm out in front of you, palm up.
- Bend your wrist so that your fingers point towards the floor.
- With your other hand, gently bend the wrist further until you feel a mild to moderate stretch in your forearm.
- Hold for at least 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 4 times.
Wrist extensor stretch
Repeat steps 1 to 4 of the stretch above, but start with your arm stretched out, palm down.
The “monkey pulls its hand out” exercise
- Sit with your back straight.
- Bend the fingers of one hand so that your thumb and fingers form a “banana shape”.
- Slowly and carefully spread your fingers apart, as if you wanted to “slide” your hand out of the banana.
- Hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds and then relax.
- Repeat 2 to 3 times on each hand.
Resistance band exercise
- Use a resistance band or an exercise rubber band.
- Place the band around the fingers of one hand.
- Slowly and carefully spread your fingers apart against the resistance of the band.
- Hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds and then relax.
- Repeat 2 to 3 times on each hand.
Exercises can help people with mild to moderate symptoms improve their symptoms and avoid carpal tunnel surgery. Some experts recommend doing these stretches several times a day. Do them before any activity that tends to make your carpal tunnel symptoms worse.
These exercises have the strongest effect if you also follow the tips below that bring relief, such as changing the movement that led to the syndrome or wearing wrist splints. Carpal tunnel exercises are also sometimes recommended after carpal tunnel surgery, to prevent internal scarring.
These exercises may not be easy at first, but they should not be painful. If they hurt, take a break or stop completely and tell your healthcare provider. If you are not sure whether to do these exercises, ask your doctor.
Are there other ways to get relief?
If you work in a job where you cannot avoid frequent, strenuous and repetitive wrist movements, you can try a few more tips to help you avoid making the problem worse without realising it.
- Change the position of your wrists often to prevent stiffness and swelling: The best self-care advice is the simplest: if an activity causes you pain, stop doing it. Repetitive movements are the main reason people develop carpal tunnel syndrome, so take a break every 15 minutes. Use this break to exercise your hands and wrists, “shake out” your hands or wiggle your fingers.
- If your job requires a movement that damages your carpal tunnel, talk to your employer about options for change, even if they are only temporary.
- Make sure you take frequent breaks.
- Wear a specially designed glove: a specially designed glove helps keep your wrist stable while you work or sleep, which can stop your symptoms from getting worse.
- Look after your lifestyle: being overweight seems to slow down nerve conduction to the hand, which can make carpal tunnel problems worse. Healthy eating and exercise can help ease or prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.
💡 Tip: Consider taking anti-inflammatory medicines: non-steroidal painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen sodium ease discomfort related to inflammation. However, this is not a treatment, only temporary relief, which in the long term can lead to your condition getting worse! Because you do not feel pain, you may make movements that worsen your condition.
- Smoking is a risk factor, because cigarettes slow down blood flow, lengthen recovery time and make it harder to return to work.
- Ergonomic changes: the aim is to keep your wrist and hand in a neutral position and avoid long periods of flexion or extension at the wrist. For desk work, try making these adjustments:
- Use a mouse that lets you rest your hand and wrist comfortably.
- Keep your keyboard flat; do not tilt it.
- Use a keyboard wrist rest to keep your wrists relaxed and straight.
- Use desk pads on hard surfaces.
- Keep your wrists straight by adjusting the height of your chair or desk.
- Keep your computer or any other work equipment you use directly in front of you.
- Yoga: Yoga poses that stretch and lengthen the arms and joints can reduce pain and improve grip strength. They also improve your posture. Poor posture rolls the shoulders forward, shortens the neck and shoulder muscles and compresses the nerves in the neck, and this can affect the wrists, fingers and hands.
- Reduce force and relax your grip: If your job involves working at a till or a keyboard, focus on not putting unnecessary pressure on your hands and keep them as relaxed as possible.
- Keep your hands warm: If you work in a cold environment, you are more likely to develop pain and stiffness in your hands. If you cannot control the temperature at work, wear fingerless gloves to keep your hands and wrists warm.
- Cold therapy: Avoiding the cold is usually the best approach. However, if your wrist is red or swollen, ice packs and ice baths can help.
💡 Tip: Ice packs: Cover your wrist with a towel and apply an ice pack for no longer than 15 minutes. An ice pack should never touch bare skin. Repeat 2 to 3 times a day as needed. Ice bath: Wrap your whole hand and wrist in a towel. Gently place the covered areas in an ice bath and let them soak for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Corticosteroid injections given by a doctor directly into the carpal tunnel: injections can also ease some nerve pain by calming nerve signals. However, this kind of relief from carpal tunnel pain is temporary. Steroid use also has side effects, such as raised blood sugar, headaches and damage to tendons and ligaments. Talk to your doctor first about whether this type of treatment would be suitable for you.
- In extreme cases, consider surgery: as with many other health conditions, surgery is not usually the first option considered. However, if the pain is severe and long-lasting, it could be the right decision. If you think it is the right choice for you, book an appointment and discuss your options with your doctor. These procedures can often be carried out as outpatient treatment and provide considerable relief. Reasons to consider surgery include: if you have had no relief from pain or symptoms after six months of treatment, if you notice increasing weakness or loss of function in your hand and wrist, or if you feel intense pain in your hand and wrist all the time.
