Repetitive Strain Injures
Repetitive Strain Injury and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
The computer age has revolutionized nearly every facet of modern life, from paying taxes to making hotel reservations to finding a book at the library. It has also brought us repetitive strain injury, a disabling pain of the neck, shoulders, wrists or hands that commonly affects those who spend their days typing on computers.
Repetitive strain injury is caused by overuse of tendons, resulting in pain, swelling and pressure on nearby nerves. The best-known form of repetitive strain injury is carpal tunnel syndrome, a debilitating pain in the wrist caused by pressure on the median nerve where it passes through the bony carpal tunnel in the wrist.
Common symptoms of repetitive strain injury include persistent tingling, pain or numbness in the wrists, hands or forearms. Some people also experience swelling in the hands or start dropping things because they have trouble controlling their fingers. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, see your doctor for an evaluation, since early intervention can keep this condition from worsening. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—may help those with repetitive strain injury or carpal tunnel syndrome, according to some health professionals.
See Your Medical Doctor When...
|
Acupressure
While sitting comfortably, press points P 7, located on the inside of each arm in the middle of the wrist crease, and TW 4, on the outside of the arm in the hollow at the center of the wrist crease, says Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., director of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of Acupressure’s Potent Points. (To help locate these points, refer to the illustrations beginning on page 564.) You can work the two points simultaneously, says Dr. Gach, by placing your left thumb on the TW 4 point of your right wrist and your left fingers on the P 7 point of your right wrist. He recommends pressing these points for a few minutes, then switching sides. Repeat this treatment throughout the day, he adds.
You can also use a shiatsu technique to press points in a line on your forearm, from the wrist to the elbow, according to Dr. Gach. He says to use all of your fingers to press up the outside of your forearm and your thumb to exert complementary pressure on the inside of your forearm. Press into the muscles on both sides of the bone structure, starting about three inches up from the wrist crease. “Squeeze for ten seconds and release. Then slide up a half-inch, squeeze and hold again for ten seconds. Repeat by half-inches all the way up to the elbow. Do this exercise on both arms whenever you think of it, as frequently as possible throughout the day,” says Dr. Gach.
Homeopathy
If you have stiff and painful joints that are hot and swollen and that feel worse with motion, take a 30C dose of Bryonia once a day or a 12C dose twice a day until you begin to feel better, says Cynthia Mervis Watson, M.D., a family practice physician in Santa Monica, California, specializing in homeopathy and herbal therapy. She says a similar dose of Rhus toxicodendron will relieve painful joints accompanied by stiffness in the neck and the small of the back that is worse in cold weather and better on warm, dry days or after exercise.
A 30C dose of Cimicifuga, taken once a day until you feel better, is a good remedy for symptoms such as an uneasy, restless feeling and achy muscles that are worse in the cold and in the morning, says Dr. Watson. She suggests a similar dose of Ruta graveolens if you have a tendon injury or ganglion cysts along with pain and stiffness, especially in cold and wet weather.
All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.
Hydrotherapy
Try nightly water treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome, suggests Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. She says to soak the hand and wrist in warm to hot water for 12 to 15 minutes, moving the fingers to increase circulation. Finish with a splash of cold water.
“The repetitive strain injuries of musicians and office workers are usually treated better with ice water than with heat,” says Dr. Thrash. She has found that some people respond better to a 12- to 15-minute ice water soak done nightly. She says to put ice cubes in enough cold water to submerge the hand and arm to just above the elbow.
Relaxation and Meditation
Progressive relaxation is a terrific way to relieve hand and wrist tension, says Glenda L. Key, P.T., a physical therapist in Minneapolis who uses the technique to cope with her own carpal tunnel syndrome.
“The wrist is an area that you very easily tense up unconsciously. I find that progressive relaxation is one of the best ways to relax that area,” Key says. To give progressive relaxation a try, see page 122. For the best results, practice this technique before starting work and then after every break.
Vitamin and Mineral Therapy
“Research shows that taking 50 milligrams of vitamin B6 every day can help those with carpal tunnel syndrome,” says Alan Gaby, M.D., a physician specializing in preventive and nutritional medicine in Baltimore and president of the American Holistic Medical Association. In fact, he says, research indicates that people who are deficient in B vitamins are more likely to develop the problem than those who aren’t.