Treat
carpal tunnel syndrome as early as possible after symptoms start.
Take more frequent breaks to rest your hands. Avoiding activities that worsen symptoms and applying cold packs to reduce
swelling also may help.
Other treatment options include wrist
splinting, medications and
surgery. Splinting and other conservative treatments are more likely to help if you've had only mild to moderate symptoms for less than 10 months.
Lifestyle and home remedies
these steps may provide temporary symptom relief:
•take short breaks from repetitive activities involving the use of your hands.
•lose weight if you are overweight or obese.
•rotate your wrists and stretch your palms and fingers.
•take a
pain reliever, such as
aspirin,
ibuprofen (advil, motrin ib, others) or
naproxen sodium (aleve).
•wear a snug, not tight, wrist splint at night. You can find these over-the-counter at most drugstores or pharmacies.
•avoid sleeping on your hands.
If pain,
numbness or weakness recurs and persists, see your doctor.
Alternative medicine
integrate alternative therapies into your treatment plan to help you cope with carpal tunnel syndrome. You may have to experiment to find a treatment that works for you. Always check with your doctor before trying any complementary or alternative treatment.
•yoga.
Yoga postures designed for strengthening, stretching and balancing the upper body and joints may help reduce pain and improve grip strength.
•
hand therapy. Early research suggests that certain physical and occupational hand therapy techniques may reduce symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
•
ultrasound therapy. High-intensity ultrasound can be used to raise the temperature of a targeted area of body tissue to reduce pain and promote healing. Research shows inconsistent results with this therapy, but a course of ultrasound therapy over several weeks may help reduce symptoms.