Before we can look at preventive measures for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, we need a basic understanding of what Carpel Tunnel Syndrome or CTS is. The Carpel Tunnel is the passage in the wrist created by bones on three sides and ligament on the fourth. Through this tiny space, nine tendons pass, as well as the median nerve. It stands to reason that any inflammation of any sort in the carpal tunnel will cause the median nerve to be compressed. The median nerve goes on to the thumb, forefinger middle finger and ring finger. This is the reason for the burning, tingling feelings and for the numbness and the pain.

So the first thing to do to prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is to avoid causing any kind of strain to your wrist. This is easier said than done, though. Most jobs now require people to sit in front of a computer for hours on end. Manual labour, too, has become easier with power tools. These power tools vibrate, though, and this vibration is very hard on the wrist. If you have no choice but to strain your wrist in your line of work, there are certain things you can do to minimize your risk.

• The best thing you can do is make sure you take adequate breaks. A break every twenty minutes or so can do wonders. This is especially important if you have any tingling or pins and needles sensation in your palm, because these are the first signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
• Fix your posture. This has been talked about so many times that it has become quite stale. A good posture seems to be the one-shot remedy for so many things that it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if somebody said that it could fix a broken neck, too. But the fact remains that good posture is essential in preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Ensuring that your wrist does not bend too much for too long, keeping your forearms parallel to the floor while typing and therefore not applying too much pressure all help prevent the onset and/or aggravation of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Keep your wrist warm. You can’t always control the temperature you work in, but you can make sure that you keep your wrist warm with a fingerless glove. This can also act as a support for your wrist, making sure that you don’t bend it too much.
• If you have trouble with hypothyroidism, diabetes or have had some sort of injury in your wrist that might have causes inflammation in the area or tendonitis, you will be more susceptible to CTS. Treating these causes before the onset of CTS is important.
• Don’t stay in one position for too long, whether you are standing or sitting. Walk around, do a few stretches, roll your shoulder, loosen up – do whatever works for you.

Even if you feel that you might have CTS, your best chance to get rid of it for good is if it is diagnosed early enough to give you as many options as possible.

Before we can look at preventive measures for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, we need a basic understanding of what Carpel Tunnel Syndrome or CTS is. The Carpel Tunnel is the passage in the wrist created by bones on three sides and ligament on the fourth. Through this tiny space, nine tendons pass, as well as the median nerve. It stands to reason that any inflammation of any sort in the carpal tunnel will cause the median nerve to be compressed. The median nerve goes on to the thumb, forefinger middle finger and ring finger. This is the reason for the burning, tingling feelings and for the numbness and the pain.

So the first thing to do to prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is to avoid causing any kind of strain to your wrist. This is easier said than done, though. Most jobs now require people to sit in front of a computer for hours on end. Manual labour, too, has become easier with power tools. These power tools vibrate, though, and this vibration is very hard on the wrist. If you have no choice but to strain your wrist in your line of work, there are certain things you can do to minimize your risk.

• The best thing you can do is make sure you take adequate breaks. A break every twenty minutes or so can do wonders. This is especially important if you have any tingling or pins and needles sensation in your palm, because these are the first signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
• Fix your posture. This has been talked about so many times that it has become quite stale. A good posture seems to be the one-shot remedy for so many things that it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if somebody said that it could fix a broken neck, too. But the fact remains that good posture is essential in preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Ensuring that your wrist does not bend too much for too long, keeping your forearms parallel to the floor while typing and therefore not applying too much pressure all help prevent the onset and/or aggravation of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Keep your wrist warm. You can’t always control the temperature you work in, but you can make sure that you keep your wrist warm with a fingerless glove. This can also act as a support for your wrist, making sure that you don’t bend it too much.
• If you have trouble with hypothyroidism, diabetes or have had some sort of injury in your wrist that might have causes inflammation in the area or tendonitis, you will be more susceptible to CTS. Treating these causes before the onset of CTS is important.
• Don’t stay in one position for too long, whether you are standing or sitting. Walk around, do a few stretches, roll your shoulder, loosen up – do whatever works for you.

Even if you feel that you might have CTS, your best chance to get rid of it for good is if it is diagnosed early enough to give you as many options as possible.

We’re all tempted to avoid going to the doctor and diagnosing nagging pains ourselves. With the hectic schedules everybody has today, this is only natural. It’s also easy to ignore things until they become much worse than they have to be. This leads to the aggravation of a lot of conditions that could easily have been cured much earlier. This is something that happens very often with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or CTS.

There are certain signature symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

• Tingling of your palm, easily mistaken to be your palm simply ‘falling asleep’
• Pain in the wrist or palm
• Numbness or pain in your thumb, forefinger, middle finger and at times your ring finger
• Pain when you bend your wrist forward
• Thumb seems weak, especially while gripping objects
• Predominant wrist pain during the night, with significant numbness when you wake up

If you have some or all of these symptoms, chances are that you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. However, before you can be certain that you have CTS, there are certain other causes that you have to rule out. Here are some of the most common of such ailments.

• Arthritis
• Tendonitis
• Reynaud’s Phenomenon
• Autoimmune diseases

There are certain other factors you can keep in mind when you are trying to make up your mind. CTS is most prevalent in people over forty two, and occurs in three women for every man with CTS. It also seems to be more prevalent in people who are obese. Hypothyroidism and pregnancy cause fluid retention, which can be a cause for CTS. Tumours and Acromegaly, a hormone disorder, are also causes of CTS.

Trauma is another cause. If you have bent your wrist back severely, or applied too much pressure to your lower arm – for instance, if you fell down on your arm or your hand – you could have triggered Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

One way to find out if you have CTS is to bend your wrist as much as you can for about sixty seconds. If by then your thumb, forefinger and middle finger, and maybe part of your ring finger, start to go numb, you could have CTS.

Repetitive action that puts pressure on your wrist is considered to be a cause of CTS, as well. Avoiding as much of this and taking frequents breaks if you cannot avoid such work is a good beginning, if you want to either avoid the onset of CTS or cure it. Diagnosing it as soon as possible is important. If you don’t, and the condition is aggravated, you might find that the muscles at the base of your thumb are wasting away.

Surgery is the remedy that has the best success rate, but anti-inflammatory medicines help counter the condition, too. Pain killers might give you temporary relief. If you want to avoid surgery, the best thing to do is make sure that you don’t flex your wrist too much, or put too much pressure on it. If there is an underlying cause, like hypothyroidism, treating that is the best way of getting rid of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.