Medical massage for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
Massage therapy can provide partial to complete relief from carpal tunnel syndrome without the use of drugs or invasive surgery. It is also great at preventing carpal tunnel syndrome from developing or worsening. Prevention is especially important for individuals that are at increased risk due to risk factors like working at a computer or manual labor involving repetitive motions of the wrist.
What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
Lets quickly recap what carpal tunnel syndrome actually is before we get into how massage helps.
While there can be varying symptoms and causes of carpal tunnel syndrome, all cases generally have one thing in common: compression of the median nerve as it goes through the carpal tunnel. In simple terms, one of the nerves that goes into your hand is getting squeezed as it passes through its opening in the wrist.
Causes
There are many possible reasons that can cause this compression of a nerve, some of the most common and most likely are:
- swelling and inflammation
- tight connective tissue
- repetitive strain
- poor posture
- muscular imbalances
These causes can have their own causes. Sometimes by diseases, for example if arthritis were creating excess inflammation around the wrist joints. Or it can be due to physical causes such as work requiring repetitive or stationary use of the hands and wrists.
Symptoms
- Numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, and middle fingers
- Pain or aching in the forearm, wrist, or hand
- Weak grip or hand fatigue
How can massage help carpal tunnel syndrome?
Release tight muscles attached to the wrist
In true carpal tunnel syndrome, the compression of the median nerve happens within the carpal tunnel. Releasing and improving the movement of muscles around the wrist can help alleviate this compression.
Free up the nerve along its entire path back to the spine
It is also important to consider that the median nerve connects all the way back to the spinal cord, and can be compressed anywhere along the way. You could have multiple places being compressed. In some cases, it is possible to have compression further up the nerve (for example, in the neck) and no compression in the wrist, yet still have symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
For these reasons I always take my time to work the whole length of the median nerve and all associated muscles and joints. This way it is easy to discover all of the possible areas that are contributing to your symptoms, and address them in a holistic manner to create lasting relief. I have been able to help many clients find relief from their carpal tunnel this way.
Reduce swelling and inflammation
Massage has a modest ability to reduce swelling and inflammation, and this can be very helpful in situations like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This can help reduce pressure in the carpal tunnel, reduce pain and further damage associated with inflammation, as well as encourage healing of damaged tissues.
Retrain the nervous system
In my experience, changing the nervous system and the brain is one of the most important and effective components of good massage therapy. When you have been dealing with something like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, your nervous system adapts to the discomfort over time. This is both good and bad.
In some ways your body learns how to move differently to avoid making it more painful. This is good in the short term, but can develop into bad habits of movement in the long term that can cause further harm. In addition, as a result of constant pain signals from your wrist, your nervous system can become overly sensitized to pain, and less tolerant of other challenges like mental or physical stress. This can become a viscous cycle.
My form of medical massage aims to give new, comforting stimulus to your nervous system to encourage it to relax, heal, and relearn healthy ways of moving and controlling your body.
When is massage a good idea for carpal tunnel syndrome?
Massage could be a great help to your carpal tunnel syndrome if:
- your symptoms ease with rest, stretching, or movement
- you use your hands a lot (massage therapists, hair stylists, computer workers, mechanics — this means you)
- You’ve tried splints or NSAIDs with only partial relief
- You have upper body tension or poor posture
- You're not quite ready for surgery or want to avoid it
When to be cautious with massage for carpal tunnel syndrome:
Massage is a very safe, non-invasive way to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. That said, it is important to consider the following things when making use of massage therapy as a treatment:
- If there’s severe atrophy, muscle wasting, or full nerve block: massage alone might not cut it — you should consult a doctor and explore all your options
- Avoid deep pressure directly over the carpal tunnel in acute flare-ups
- Rule out cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve), thoracic outlet syndrome, and other serious pathologies as contributors. Especially if treatments like massage and exercise don't make any difference.
- Respect the presence of contributing pathologies. For example, if rheumatoid arthritis is contributing to your carpal tunnel syndrome pain, make sure to treat that as well and avoid massage during intense flare ups.
Looking for Relief from carpal tunnel syndrome in the Lehigh Valley, PA?
Please reach out to me! I would be happy to discuss your situation and recommend myself or another professional provider depending on what will suit you best. I offer in home medical massage therapy appointments, and stay in touch with some other great local health professionals. I would love to talk with you!
