With so many people working for hours on the computer, we are seeing more and more people with wrist and hand pain. Using the information just mentioned above, examine the muscles that move the hand. The muscles of the forearm originate at, or near, the elbow. They then insert in the hand and wrist. The muscles on the top of the arm are called the “extensors”, and the muscles on the underside of the arm are called “flexors”. When the flexors contract the hand is pulled into a fist, &/or the hand moves down. When the extensors contract the hand &/or finger are pulled up. If you grip your forearm with your opposite hand, then wiggle your fingers, and open & close your hand, you will feel the flexors & extensors contracting. Also, if you move your hand side to side you will also feel the muscles that are responsible for that motion.

These are very powerful muscles, and they are being used repetitively for many hours daily. After work if you go home and play tennis or the piano, crochet or play computer games, you are again contracting these muscles over and over. Eventually you have pain at your wrist, and you are told you have carpal tunnel syndrome. In reality you have repetitive strain injury (RSI) of the forearm muscles.

At the Carpal Tunnel Treatment Center we use an analogy that helps our patients understand why the pain is felt so far from the spasm. If you pulled your hair at the end you wouldn’t feel it there, you would feel it at the scalp where it inserts. If you pulled it for a very long time you would eventually get an inflammation, swelling, and pain would radiate away from the point of insertion. Exactly the same thing is happening in your wrist.

When the muscles of the forearm contract, and stay in the contracted position due to spasms, the strain is put on the insertion point at the wrist. Eventually you end up with an inflammation and swelling. Since all the flexor tendons travel through the carpal tunnel, they cause pain and swelling in that area. You are diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, but the quickest and easiest therapy is to release the muscle. Surgery will open the bridge to the carpal tunnel, but the muscles will still be putting strain on the insertion points.

Another muscle that has a serious impact on the carpal tunnel is the muscle of the thumb. This is the meaty muscle that is felt at the base of the thumb, called the Opponens Pollicis. The Opponens Pollicis originates at the ligament that forms the bridge of the carpal tunnel, and it inserts at the base of your thumb. When this muscle contracts you draw your thumb in toward your palm. You use this muscle many thousands of times a day – and you never stretch it. It is extremely common for this muscle to contract, and stay in the shortened position. When that happens it is pulling hard on the bridge to the carpal tunnel and is pressing down on the median nerve. You now experience numbness in your thumb and first two fingers. Releasing the tension in this muscle will also release the pressure on the median nerve.

It is vital to work on the muscles of the forearm. Each individual muscle spasm needs to be worked out. These are deep muscles, a light massage won’t be as effective as deep muscle therapy. Proper therapy, and stretching all of the muscles, has proven to completely heal this condition – without surgery.

About the Authors:

Zev M. Cohen, M.D. is the Medical Director of the Carpal Tunnel Treatment Center and the Julstro Muscular Therapy Center in New City, NY. Dr. Cohen, an Internal Medicine physician, includes a specialty in the treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Repetitive Strain Injuries. He has been interviewed on national radio and television as an expert on carpal tunnel syndrome. RSI and CTS questions may be directed to him at www.aboutcts.com

Julie Donnelly, L.M.T. is the Principal Therapist at both Centers. She developed and teaches Julstro Deep Muscle Therapy to licensed therapists. She is the author of the book “How To Be Pain-less…A Beginner’s Guide to the Self Treatment of Muscle Spasms” that was written to be easy to read, and to follow.

Both Dr. Cohen and Julie teach self treatment techniques for the relief of muscle pain and have developed the Julstro Self Treatment System for the relief of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

In this way the Author Zen M.Cohen explains about the different daily activities at your workplace leading to Muscle Spasms will lead you to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome