Massage and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Most of us have heard the name of carpal tunnel syndrome, but not many know what it is. The carpal tunnel is essentially an archway made of bone. When your palm is face-up to the ceiling, then the bony arch is upside down, with the top of the arch toward the back of your wrist. Across the bottom open end of the arch, a thickened band of connective tissue (called the flexor retinaculum) crosses to close off the arch and create a tunnel. This tunnel is of the pathway for many of the tendons of the forearm flexor muscles (which control hand movement and grip) as they descend from their respective muscles in the forearm down into the fingers and palm. In carpal tunnel syndrome, the soft tissue that are within the carpal tunnel get inflamed and thickened. Usually this occurs due to trauma or overuse, such as typing on a computer at work for years. The muscles of the forearm continue to shorten and thicken the more they are overused, which causes them to get inflamed. Proper massage therapy or manual therapy will address the issue at the source by softening and lengthening the forearm muscles and fascia, working down from the elbow and forearm into the wrist and hand. As these structures soften and lengthen, the inflammation is able to recede, and with it the pain and numbness go away. This is by far the most effective, cost-efficient, and non-invasive way to deal with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 02:49:36 +0000
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