5 Basic Exercises

Carpal tunnel is a painful nerve condition of the wrist, often brought on from overuse or repetitive motion of the forearm or hand. Keep in mind that exercises are only one way of modifying the behavior that caused the condition. Try them gently to make sure you don’t do more harm than good, and always see a doctor if carpal tunnel symptoms worsen.

• Warm Up. Hold your arms straight out in front of you. Flex your wrists so that your fingers point to the ceiling. Hold the position for five seconds, then release and let your fingers hang down, relaxed. Make a fist with both hands and squeeze hard, then flex your wrists down, hold for five seconds and relax. Lower your arms to your sides and shake your fingers gently. Repeat this exercise ten times. By the way, if you ever want to learn more natural exercises, check out my review of Natural Carpal Tunnel Treatments on my links below.

• Nerve-Gliding Finger Exercise. Start with hands extended, fingers straight and level with your wrist. Curl your fingers into a hook, then straighten. Curl your fingers into a fist, then straighten. Bend your fingers so they are perpendicular to your wrist. Repeat ten times.

• Nerve-Gliding Thumb Exercise. Make a fist, then straighten your fingers and thumb. Flex your wrist back, and move your thumb as far from your palm as possible. Hold this position for five seconds. Flip your wrist so your palm faces up. Take hold of your thumb with your other hand and gently stretch it away from your palm. Hold for five seconds, then repeat five times.

• Shoulder Exercise. Carpal tunnel symptoms may also be eased by stretching shoulder muscles, and can be done standing or sitting. Begin with your shoulders in a neutral position. Raise both shoulders, roll them back, down, forward and up, returning to a neutral position. Repeat five times.

• Neck Exercise. Keeping your neck tension-free will help your shoulders, and in turn may help ease carpal tunnel pain. Let your head fall gently forward of its own weight. Roll it to the left shoulder, then back, allowing your jaw to relax. Roll to the right shoulder, then forward and up. Repeat five times.

One Final Thought:

These exercises are very powerful treatments for carpal tunnel. If you’d like to learn more natural remedies to treat your carpal tunnel pain, check out this review I wrote of Natural Carpal Tunnel Treatments in the link below.