Preventing and Addressing Hand Issues like Carpal Tunnel
Our hands are incredibly precious and important. What would we do without them? In this blog post, I share a simple exercise you can use to relieve hand tension right now, and I walk you through the process I use to address hand issues for myself and my clients.
Just like every other region of the body, all the muscles in the hands matter. Before approaching a hand issue, it is important to assess its exact, individual needs—because each hand can require completely different care.
For instance, two cases of carpal tunnel syndrome can stem from entirely different places in the hand and vary based on daily positioning habits. One person might develop carpal tunnel from computer work, while another gets it from yoga or horseback riding. Typically, however, there is a repetitive over-extension of the wrist involved. Looking at the whole picture is valuable.
The Hand Assessment
The hands are capable of a plethora of motions. The keyword here is capable—if you don't use it, you lose it! Furthermore, it is not always a matter of strength; sometimes it is about stability. This ultimately comes down to slow-twitch versus fast-twitch muscle fibers, but we will save that science for another time.
The bottom line is that we each use our hands in repeated patterns depending on our activities, jobs, and daily roles. Because of this, certain muscles naturally become stronger than others to get the job done. Consider the vast difference in hand mechanics between a equestrian holding reins, a baker kneading dough, and an office worker typing on a keyboard all day.
It is easy to assume we automatically know which muscles are overworked or weak (like the flexors, for example). However, we cannot truly know until we check all ranges of motion and evaluate the ability of the muscles to contract within each of those ranges. Ensuring that all muscles are actively participating keeps your tension relationships balanced, leaving your movements feeling smooth. Once you have a solid assessment of each hand's unique needs, you can begin making real progress.
Daily Hand Care & A Quick Relief Exercise
To get some relief right now, build awareness, and perform a quick self-assessment, try this simple sequence:
Rest: Place both hands on a table with your palms facing up.
Observe: Notice the natural curl of your fingers. Observe how your left hand compares to your right.
Open: Actively open your palms and hold them open for 30 seconds (or five full, deep breaths).
Check-In: Release the effort and look at your fingers again. Note any changes in the curl between the left and right hands.
Activate: Repeat the palm-opening exercise, but this time, actively press each individual fingertip into the table. Go through them one by one to note which fingers are participating and which ones aren't.
Take note of any fingers that feel less active or weak, and work to gently re-engage and strengthen them. This work is subtle and requires focused attention, but your hands will appreciate the dedicated care.
Share with me what you find!
Precise Hand Strengthening
Working with muscles in their limited ranges of motion—and target-strengthening where there is less capacity—rebalances the tension in each joint and restores harmony throughout the hand.
The more precision and awareness you bring to these movements, the better your results will be. If certain muscles do not seem to want to fire at all, we can use our knowledge of anatomical attachment sites to cue them back to life.
Join Me Live!
Want to dive deeper into rebalancing your hands? In my upcoming Helping Hands Virtual Embodied Anatomy Class this Friday, October 16, we will walk through more exercises and targeted activities just like this one. I hope you can join us!
Learn more about the Helping Hands virtual embodied anatomy class.