Four Natural Ways to Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) causes various unpleasant symptoms in the hand and arm, including a numbing feeling, tingling, and pain. While medical experts don’t completely understand what causes CTS, they agree that it’s often related to conditions such as overuse injuries, hypothyroidism, diabetes, and more.
If you use repetitive motions or have one or more other risk factors, you can still prevent CTS. Even if your condition is in the early stages, a Cincinnati doctor of integrative medicine can provide guidance and natural treatments to relieve your pain. In the meantime, here are four ways to reduce your likelihood of developing CTS.
1) Use a softer touch.
Whether typing on a keyboard, doing food prep, or working on an assembly line, you can get used to doing things a certain way, sometimes using too much force. Pushing buttons too hard or maintaining a too-tight grip can cause undue stress and strain. Remember to be mindful of the tenseness in your hands and wrists, and try to back off a bit.
2) Choose anti-inflammatory foods.
Inflammation is one of the leading risk factors for many conditions, including CTS. Consuming processed foods, sugar, and oxidized fats can all promote inflammation that causes pain. Instead, opt for colorful fruits and vegetables. Also, incorporate into your diet more nuts and wild-caught fish, all of which reduce bodily inflammation.
3) Wear a wrist splint
Patients treated for CTS can unintentionally extend their recovery period by continuing to injure their nerve by bending their wrist too much. A wrist brace can help prevent that from happening by stabilizing your arm. Another benefit of a split is being able to wear it day or night.
4) Stretch Regularly
Taking breaks is crucial to preserving your mobility and comfort. Make the most of any rest period by incorporating the occasional stretching exercise. For example, you can stretch by making a fist and extending your fingers to fan them out. Repeat this sequence 5-10 times.
Seeing a Cincinnati Wrist Pain Doctor for CTS
If you’re currently trying to manage pain from carpal tunnel syndrome, you can still follow the above advice. Other carpal tunnel syndrome treatments that help include ice therapy and nutritional supplementation.
If your condition has progressed and you don’t get adequate relief from these methods, you can still avoid CTS surgery. An integrative health clinic can help you recover with a combination of safe, effective, and gentler therapies than traditional treatments.
At Blatman Health and Wellness Center, our local providers proudly offer platelet-rich plasma or stem cell injections to address your symptoms. You might also consider hydrodissection, a procedure that releases the median nerve, the major nerve in the forearm that gets compressed and causes pain. If you contact us today, we’ll happily answer your questions and schedule an appointment.
