Carpal Tunnel Syndrome may begin as a tingling in the fingers, but left untreated can develop into a serious condition. Let's address the situation before it becomes a liability by applying some common sense!
My Thumb Is Numb
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a swelling of the tissues in the wrist. This swelling puts pressure on the median nerve, a major nerve in the hand for both movement and feeling.
Initial symptoms may show up as wrist pain or hand pain that can extend up the arm. This can then develop into tingling and numbness in the thumb and middle fingers, and a weakness or tendency to drop things.
However, if the sensation is accompanied by pain or pinching in other areas, it may indicate that the problem is not limited to the wrist. The median nerve is formed from branches of five nerves that originate in the neck and upper back. Because of this, the nerve can be impinged in many different areas (neck, upper back, shoulder, forearm) and all of these will produce similar symptoms in the wrist.
What Brought This On?
Repetitive clasping movements, rheumatoid arthritis, hormonal imbalances, and even fluid retention with pregnancy can bring on carpal tunnel syndrome. There are no definitive studies, but many people have developed carpal tunnel syndrome from excessive forceful typing or holding a mouse, or from holding a steering wheel too hard.
In addition, poor alignment or tight muscles in the upper back and neck could also radiate into the arm and cause wrist pain. If your neck is especially tight, this can put excessive pressure on the delicate branches of nerves in the neck and upper back.
How Do I Make It Better?
Mild to moderate symptoms can be treated with simple, non-surgical therapies. But if symptoms are persistent and getting worse, you may want to consult a doctor for further options.
These three techniques can be applied immediately:
1. Loosen your grip, change the angle and sit up straight! Take a few moments to assess your daily habits and movements. If you grip your steering wheel or mouse tightly, see if you can consciously loosen your grip. If you repetitively strike a keyboard or cash register, use less force.
Also, pay attention to the angle in your wrist, and the placement of your arms. Move the keyboard to elbow height to keep the wrists in as neutral a position as possible. Sit with good posture, with the shoulders relaxed. And take frequent breaks to rest the wrists.
2. Ice and splints If your wrist is swollen, apply a cold pack or ice to reduce the inflammation. You can also wear a wrist splint at night while sleeping to keep the wrist in a neutral position while you sleep.
3.Stretch and strengthen Begin to integrate yoga therapy exercises to stretch and strengthen both the wrists and the upper back and neck, so the body can hold itself in healthy alignment and protect the nerve as it travels through the arm to the wrist.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a common problem, but with a little attention and some simple stretching and strengthening yoga exercises, it doesn't have to be!
Kamis, 31 Agustus 2017
Kamis, 03 Agustus 2017
Beating Carpal Tunnel Wrist Pain - How Pianists Even the Score
Musical instruments were never designed to be ergonomic and some of them wreak havoc on our bodies, particularly for keyboard and string players. Pain in the hands and wrists, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, is one of the most common conditions as almost without exception proficiency in an instrument requires rapid movement of the fingers or hands.
Up to 80% of professional musicians experience pain and injury in their playing career and these are primarily through occupational overuse, repetitive strain injury (RSI), and/or carpal tunnel syndrome.
The main focal areas for piano players are hands, wrists, shoulders, neck and upper back, and the player should try to achieve efficient, stress-free movement to minimize pain and injury, and use carpal tunnel wrist exercises to build up the body's strength.
Stretching
Stretching the hands at a young age can often cause issues and lead to serious problems in later life. It's recommended you don't overstretch your child's hands during piano practice.
Before you begin to play piano, though, you should perform some light stretches of the fingers and wrists to warm the muscles up.
Hand position
The correct technique is to have the back of the hands horizontal with the fingers falling gently onto the keys. For this, you will need the correct height stool. This also throws up the problems of leverage for your shoulders as they will have to work to lift your hands for a long period of time while remaining in the same position. This is called static muscular activity and inhibits blood flow. One way to get around this is to over-exaggerate your movements, lifting your hands high or letting them drop down load when they're not being used. It may look unnecessarily flamboyant, but it works.
Awkward positions weaken your playing, so always ensure that your wrists are not unduly held at extreme angles and playing positions. The aim is for your forearms and wrists to be perpendicular to the keys being played.
Using excessive force on the keys can also result in carpal tunnel syndrome. The standard piano key only takes around 50g of weight to push down.
Rapid and repetitive playing can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. The muscles in the arm and wrist become inflamed and cause irritation of the median nerve and tendons that pass through the carpal tunnel in the wrist. The tendons are the weak link in the pianist's wrist as they are the most likely to get inflamed by rubbing against other tendons and ligaments.
Shoulders experience problems related to static muscular activity. Strengthening the shoulders will alleviate this.
The neck is often craned forwards to read the music, or through bad posture. This in turn puts stress on the upper back and can cause a permanent hunched back if left long enough. In this case, postural realignment, massage, and strengthening techniques should be used.
Curing pain associated with playing piano
Removing the cause of the pain is important, and the body does have an amazing capacity to heal itself. A period of complete rest may be required in the most severe cases. Conditioning of the body, though, should be the main goal.
Primarily the pianist can be looked at as an athlete. Athletes must perform physical movements over and over in the most efficient way, and their bodies must be strong enough to withstand the requirements. Proper training - physical, postural and mental - is important to undertake to achieve the best result as a piano player.
Up to 80% of professional musicians experience pain and injury in their playing career and these are primarily through occupational overuse, repetitive strain injury (RSI), and/or carpal tunnel syndrome.
The main focal areas for piano players are hands, wrists, shoulders, neck and upper back, and the player should try to achieve efficient, stress-free movement to minimize pain and injury, and use carpal tunnel wrist exercises to build up the body's strength.
Stretching
Stretching the hands at a young age can often cause issues and lead to serious problems in later life. It's recommended you don't overstretch your child's hands during piano practice.
Before you begin to play piano, though, you should perform some light stretches of the fingers and wrists to warm the muscles up.
Hand position
The correct technique is to have the back of the hands horizontal with the fingers falling gently onto the keys. For this, you will need the correct height stool. This also throws up the problems of leverage for your shoulders as they will have to work to lift your hands for a long period of time while remaining in the same position. This is called static muscular activity and inhibits blood flow. One way to get around this is to over-exaggerate your movements, lifting your hands high or letting them drop down load when they're not being used. It may look unnecessarily flamboyant, but it works.
Awkward positions weaken your playing, so always ensure that your wrists are not unduly held at extreme angles and playing positions. The aim is for your forearms and wrists to be perpendicular to the keys being played.
Using excessive force on the keys can also result in carpal tunnel syndrome. The standard piano key only takes around 50g of weight to push down.
Rapid and repetitive playing can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. The muscles in the arm and wrist become inflamed and cause irritation of the median nerve and tendons that pass through the carpal tunnel in the wrist. The tendons are the weak link in the pianist's wrist as they are the most likely to get inflamed by rubbing against other tendons and ligaments.
Shoulders experience problems related to static muscular activity. Strengthening the shoulders will alleviate this.
The neck is often craned forwards to read the music, or through bad posture. This in turn puts stress on the upper back and can cause a permanent hunched back if left long enough. In this case, postural realignment, massage, and strengthening techniques should be used.
Curing pain associated with playing piano
Removing the cause of the pain is important, and the body does have an amazing capacity to heal itself. A period of complete rest may be required in the most severe cases. Conditioning of the body, though, should be the main goal.
Primarily the pianist can be looked at as an athlete. Athletes must perform physical movements over and over in the most efficient way, and their bodies must be strong enough to withstand the requirements. Proper training - physical, postural and mental - is important to undertake to achieve the best result as a piano player.
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