Relief is an option…
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel is a very painful syndrome that affects the hands and wrists. This syndrome can strike anyone who uses his or her hands in a repetitive motion.
But massage therapy can help to diminish the devastating affects of this syndrome.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a compression of the median nerve as it passes under the transverse carpal tunnel ligament.
Some symptoms of CTS are pain, tingling, numbness and weakness of the affected hand. Muscle and connective tissue can shorten and swelling can occur.
Who is affected by CTS?
Workers who use their hands in repetitive movements are the most at risk. Typing, knitting, and factory work are just some of the examples of activities that can produce Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Other causes of CTS include, but are not limited to: fracture of the wrist, endocrine gland disorders such as diabetes, menopause, and tumors. Pregnancy can also be a trigger for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome due to the increased fluid retention.
How can massage help?
Through the use of massage, your massage therapist can manually reduce inflammation and swelling that can cause pain.
Various forms of massage applications can reduce muscle spasm, lengthen shortened muscles and soften and stretch connective tissue, thus restoring a more normal space around the nerve and relieving the impingement. When massage is combined with other appropriate methods, surgery is seldom necessary.
What If I Already Had The Surgery?
Massage is perfectly safe to be performed on the wrist once the incision has healed, depending on the severity; this usually takes about 2 to 4 months.
What if I’ve had the surgery, and still have CTS pain?
It is important to realize that surgery is not always a permanent fix for those who suffer from CTS, especially if you have returned to the kind of work that caused the CTS to begin with.
If surgery has been performed, massage therapy can be used to prevent re-entrapment of the nerve and to manage scar tissue.
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