I’m tired of seeing videos posted online by “healthcare experts” that have no clue about anatomy or the mechanics of human movement, yet think they do because of the letters following their name. 

A degree in occupational therapy does not make you a hand specialist.  Even if the occupational therapist were certified as a hand specialist, there is a difference between occupational therapy, which mostly focuses on the re-development of coordination and function following severe trauma such as a head injury.  Re-gaining mobility in a person’s hand that has lost function due to a head trauma is in no way the same as correcting a muscle imbalance caused by overuse of a particular muscle group.  (i.e. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome caused by overuse of the finger and wrist flexor and finger adductor muscles.)

If your therapist recommends the following exercises to treat carpal tunnel syndrome, find a new therapist immediately!

~ Gripping / Squeezing exercises (Squeeze balls, etc.)
~ Finger-walking exercises
~ Finger flexion gliding exercises
~ Using a hand (bi)cycle
~ Finger flexion exercises
~ Wrist flexion exercises
~ Circular exercises with wrist
~ Pincer-type exercises  Next I will be posting stretches and exercises for treating Cubital Tunnel Syndrome.

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I have listed the necessary stretches and exercises from start to finish that will help eliminate carpal tunnel syndrome in just a few, short weeks.  Some people make the Flextend exercises more difficult than they really are, as it is a very simple product and program to follow.  If you have questions again about what the exericses look like, visit the following link and view menu on the left side of the page that lists exercise animations, instructional video, billing data and a lot of other pertinent Flextend information: http://www.repetitive-strain.com/flextendindex.html

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The following video lists carpal tunnel statistics (national and international), shows people in pain, has real testimonials, etc.  You may have already watched this video as it is on the main website, but here it is in case you missed.

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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Advanced Stretch: Part-5 of 5.  This is a great stretch to wrap up the series and assist you with relief from your symptoms.  Implementing a good stretch and exercise program for carpal tunnel is the key to recovery without surgery or other invasive treatments.

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This is Part-3 of a 5-Part series of advanced stretching exercises for carpal tunnel syndrome.  Performing a variety of stretches to help lengthen the flexor muscles that close the hands as well as the muscles that flex (bend) and adduct (bring together) the fingers is key to correcting the muscle imbalance in the hand, wrist and forearm that is often the root-cause for the development of carpal tunnel syndrome.  I see so many stretching programs and videos promoting the stretching of the extensor muscles that open the hands and the exercising of the flexor muscles that close the hands, that I can see how and why carpal tunnel syndrome still exists in pandemic proportions.  Most of the stretches and exercises shown, even by highly trained professionals, do nothing but exacerbate the symptoms.

Most everyone performs finger flexion and gripping actions all day, every day.  As the flexor muscles become tighter, they cause the carpal bones to shift inward, collapsing the carpal tunnel and impinging the median nerve.  Stretching these muscles, and strengthening the opposing wrist extensor muscles and finger extensor and abductor (spread fingers apart) muscles help create equal balance between these groups of muscles, therefore eliminating the nerve compression and symptoms that result.  Plainly put, it is basic, simple biomechanics; balance the strength and length ratios of the involved muscles and the condition will most likely be eliminated.

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Below is Part-2 of a 5-Part stretching series addressing finger and wrist pain associated with the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome.  This video contains two advanced stretches and one exercise reference to help provide quick, long-term relief.  Come back soon for Part-3 of the 5-Part series.

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This is Part-1 of a 5-part series for stretches to help provide decompression of the median nerve for those suffering with carpal tunnel syndrome.  If these basic stretches do not help, which they should if immediately followed with Flextend exercises, check back for the more advanced stretches that will be listed in parts 2-5! 

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This is the listing of exercise video image #2 of 2 for the prevention and rehabilitation of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Carpal Tunnel has reached pandemic proportions with little relief being offered via invasive treatment methods like surgery, which provides a failure rate of about 80%+ within 3-years post-surgery. Whether you utilize the Flextend / Restore system or not, it is imperative to implement conservative treatment methods consisting of stretches and exercises.  Of course you have to be careful, as performing the wrong exercises, such as flexion / gripping exercises, often increase the already debilitating symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by further impinging the median nerve. 

Although Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be caused by a variety of conditions such as increased edema during pregnancy, diabetes, obesity, arthritis and other ailments, it is most often caused by a muscle imbalance between the muscles that open and close the hand. Here yo uwill learn a couple of simple active stretch exercises that will correct the imbalance and increase the space within the carpal tunnel, relieving the impingement of the median nerve.

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This is the first in a series of Carpal Tunnel Exercises that will be shown so that individuals can learn to eliminate their disorder via conservative methods with a few simple exercises.

COMING SOON! We will be listing a variety of exercise programs for injuries like Trigger Finger, Tennis Elbow, Guyon’s Syndrome and many other Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI’s) in the near future so some back soon!

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Everyone is too busy to read articles anymore - the reason for my creating of this top-5 list, as I wouldn’t want people to have to apply too much effort for their own health and safety by performing some form of research on their own. 

People want quick and easy no matter what it is: Driving and eating vs. sitting at home with the family and eating, a car wash vs. using the hose in the driveway, email and text messaging instead if writing an actual letter, pills vs. a change in diet and exercise and the list goes on.  The want for ease of use can be applied to anything, including a variety of repetitive strain injuries; one of them known by everyone as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or CTS for short.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is everywhere so how does someone get rid of it as quickly and easily as getting a hamburger at the drive-up window? 

Here they are, the Top 5 Ways to Reduce CTS: (I just got through saying that everyone is too busy to read much and I went and wrote a long article, somewhat defeating the purpose of the Top-5.) 

So here is my condensed version, the A-E List, with the in-depth explanations of each below:

A – Flextend
B – Stretch flexor Muscles
C – Strengthen Back and Shoulders to create better posture.
D – Utilize good ergonomics, making sure your job fits your build.
E – Massage Therapy and Rest.
(more…)

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