If you are looking for a non-intrusive way of easing the pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, yoga may very well turn out to be your answer. When you add yoga to your routine, it can help with reducing the pain along with increasing the strength in the hand, especially if you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. These are the findings of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and they talk of yoga being an easy and effective way of dealing with pain.
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
But let's first answer the question, what exactly is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by repetitive motion that you do every day with your hands. If you have a job that requires sitting in front of a computer typing all day, then you are a good candidate for this disease. There is a median nerve located in the hand that has the job of controlling the thumb, middle finger, and index finger sensations. Whatever may have caused it, the fact remains that when you have Carpal Tunnel it is very painful to use the hand.
Wrist Splints vs. Yoga.
The most common treatment for CTS is wrist splints. However, when the study was done there was a group with just the wrist splints and a group that would do yoga exercises. Just twice a week the group for yoga would go to a class for an hour and a half each time. The group did not do anything over the top... instead it was just simple posture exercises for the upper body. They would do various motions, lots of stretching; the hands would be aligned and strengthened, along with the shoulders, arms and wrists. At the end of eight weeks both groups were tested again for pain. The wrist splint wearers had no significant decrease in pain while the yoga group had less pain and their hands were stronger.
The program used the following postures:
1. A staff pose - while sitting on a chair press the back upright, while pressing your hands in the chair, shoulder blades should be pressed back, while moving the shoulders up and down.
2. Prayer position - with hands in front of you press the palms and fingers of the hands together while stretching and bending the fingers.
3. Arms overhead - While lifting the arms over head keep them straight while making sure the shoulders are down.
4. Fingers interlocked while arms overhead - Same steps as above only turn palms upward while clasping your fingers.
5. Chair twist - While sitting sideways in your chair place your right side of back against the back of chair. Slowly place your hands on the back of chair and twist. Do the left side the same way.
7. Forward bend to wall while bending 90 degrees - Place the feet even with your hips and raise the arms over head. Next rest hands on the wall while bending at the hips.
8. Hands in prayer position while arms are overhead - Place feet even with hips, now raise your arms to a Tee position while turning pals up. Now rotate your arms in circles that are small going forward and then backwards. Lift arms above the head while keeping them straight and join your hands in a prayer position. Now stretch your body up while bending the head back and looking at your hands.
9. Chair and dog pose - Place feet even with hips while facing the front of the chair. Bend at the waist and place hands palm down on the seat even with the shoulders. While straightening the arms lift the waist, knees and hips so everything is a few inches higher than the chair. While tightening the buttocks curve the arms out and bring the spine and everything forward.
10. Prayer behind the back - Place feet at levek with hips and place your palms together behind the back with fingers pointing toward the sky. While maintaining the position, move up the back toward the shoulders as far as possible.
11. Relax
It is only necessary to hold each position for about 30 seconds.
Struggling with back pains? Visit Yome - The Yoga Portal for learning to live a wonderful and healthy life. Learn ways to keep your body stress and pain free and expand your knowledge of yoga with great tools like FREE ebooks, interactive forums and informative blog posts from yoga teachers and experts. Visit yogameditationhome.com NOW!!
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
But let's first answer the question, what exactly is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by repetitive motion that you do every day with your hands. If you have a job that requires sitting in front of a computer typing all day, then you are a good candidate for this disease. There is a median nerve located in the hand that has the job of controlling the thumb, middle finger, and index finger sensations. Whatever may have caused it, the fact remains that when you have Carpal Tunnel it is very painful to use the hand.
Wrist Splints vs. Yoga.
The most common treatment for CTS is wrist splints. However, when the study was done there was a group with just the wrist splints and a group that would do yoga exercises. Just twice a week the group for yoga would go to a class for an hour and a half each time. The group did not do anything over the top... instead it was just simple posture exercises for the upper body. They would do various motions, lots of stretching; the hands would be aligned and strengthened, along with the shoulders, arms and wrists. At the end of eight weeks both groups were tested again for pain. The wrist splint wearers had no significant decrease in pain while the yoga group had less pain and their hands were stronger.
The program used the following postures:
1. A staff pose - while sitting on a chair press the back upright, while pressing your hands in the chair, shoulder blades should be pressed back, while moving the shoulders up and down.
2. Prayer position - with hands in front of you press the palms and fingers of the hands together while stretching and bending the fingers.
3. Arms overhead - While lifting the arms over head keep them straight while making sure the shoulders are down.
4. Fingers interlocked while arms overhead - Same steps as above only turn palms upward while clasping your fingers.
5. Chair twist - While sitting sideways in your chair place your right side of back against the back of chair. Slowly place your hands on the back of chair and twist. Do the left side the same way.
7. Forward bend to wall while bending 90 degrees - Place the feet even with your hips and raise the arms over head. Next rest hands on the wall while bending at the hips.
8. Hands in prayer position while arms are overhead - Place feet even with hips, now raise your arms to a Tee position while turning pals up. Now rotate your arms in circles that are small going forward and then backwards. Lift arms above the head while keeping them straight and join your hands in a prayer position. Now stretch your body up while bending the head back and looking at your hands.
9. Chair and dog pose - Place feet even with hips while facing the front of the chair. Bend at the waist and place hands palm down on the seat even with the shoulders. While straightening the arms lift the waist, knees and hips so everything is a few inches higher than the chair. While tightening the buttocks curve the arms out and bring the spine and everything forward.
10. Prayer behind the back - Place feet at levek with hips and place your palms together behind the back with fingers pointing toward the sky. While maintaining the position, move up the back toward the shoulders as far as possible.
11. Relax
It is only necessary to hold each position for about 30 seconds.
Struggling with back pains? Visit Yome - The Yoga Portal for learning to live a wonderful and healthy life. Learn ways to keep your body stress and pain free and expand your knowledge of yoga with great tools like FREE ebooks, interactive forums and informative blog posts from yoga teachers and experts. Visit yogameditationhome.com NOW!!