Exercises may relieve carpal tunnel
A combination of massage-like techniques and exercises performed at home may relieve carpal-tunnel syndrome without surgery, a new study suggests. And other research finds that typing on a computer with excessive force may increase a person's risk of developing carpal-tunnel syndrome, suggesting that adopting a new typing style may help relieve symptoms.
For those who spend long hours pounding on their keyboards, two studies offer new clues about preventing and relieving carpal-tunnel syndrome.
Affecting primarily the wrist and hand, carpal-tunnel syndrome also may produce tingling, burning and aching that radiates to the forearm or shoulder.
The standard approaches to treating carpal-tunnel syndrome involve using anti-inflammatory medications, braces and avoiding activity that stresses the carpal-tunnel ligament. If these measures fail, surgery to relieve pressure on the median nerve, which runs through the carpal tunnel in the wrist, may be considered.
However, treating the wrist with massage one to three times a week and prescribing stretching exercises for patients to perform on their may relieve carpal-tunnel syndrome without surgery, according to Dr. Benjamin M. Sucher, director of the center for carpal-tunnel studies in Paradise Valley, Ariz.
A potentially useful exercise involves extending one arm forward, palm up while keeping the elbow straight, according to Sucher, who reported his research at a recent medical meeting in San Francisco.
With the opposite hand, slowly pull down the fingers of the outstretched palm toward the floor. Hold the stretch for three seconds, then stretch slightly further, Sucher said. Rotate the outstretched fingers as far right as possible - without rotating the rest of the arm - and hold for three seconds. Repeat, rotating to the left.
The standard surgery often has side effects, and symptoms tend to recur, explained Sucher.
One of the underpinnings of the surgery is the traditional belief that the carpal-tunnel ligament cannot be stretched, explained Sucher.
But research shows that this is not true, he said.
But people should get their physician's approval before trying the stretches, he stressed. The exercises do not help everyone, and symptoms patients believe to be caused by carpal-tunnel syndrome may be caused by another condition, he cautioned.
In a separate study, researchers showed that typing on a computer with excessive force may increase a person's risk of developing carpal-tunnel syndrome, according to findings published in the December issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
In a study of 48 women with jobs that demanded a high level of keyboarding, the 23 women with carpal-tunnel syndrome used significantly greater force in a keyboarding test, compared with the 25 women who were free of the condition, reported researchers led by Michael Feuerstein, a professor of medical and clinical psychology and preventive medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.
Previous research has shown that greater keyboarding force results in more pressure on the median nerve, Sucher explained.
"I think it's critical for physicians evaluating workers with carpal-tunnel syndrome to ask questions about their work styles, including their keyboarding style," Feuerstein said. Often, doctors pay more attention to the shape of the keyboard and the adjustability of a person's workstation. But adopting a new keyboarding style may help relieve the condition, he added.
"I think there's definitely merit to that," Sucher commented.
According to the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in Arlington Heights, Ill., approximately 31,457 cases of carpal-tunnel syndrome are diagnosed each year.