Hands are kind of a big deal for a lot of people. Pretty much everyone requires the use of their hands in order to function in day to day life. However, hands are just as vulnerable to overexertion as any other part of a person. One of the most common examples of overexertion in hands is carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is when the median nerve is bunched or squeezed tightly. The squeezed nerve that goes through the wrist causes numbness and pain in the hand and fingers.

Severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome aren’t life threatening, but they can be a painful nuisance and it can become so bad as to feel unbearable. In the instances where carpal tunnel is particularly severe, surgery is often needed.

If any of that sounds unappealing, then you’re not alone in that. We created a list of good practices that you can use to prevent the development of carpal tunnel syndrome.

1. Don’t Tighten Your Hands Too Much

What causes the median nerve to become squeezed is when you bundle the muscles in that area of your hand on chronic basis. Muscles can definitely be strained to the point where other parts of your body suffer, like putting too much heavy objects on a wooden plank; in this example, the middle of the wooden plank is your nerve being pushed against by the objects until the full force of the weight pushes down.

You can alleviate the amount of pressure you are putting on your median nerve by not squeezing your hand so tightly around a pencil, or contorting it into an unnatural position for extended periods of time.

2. Take Breaks

In addition to not forcing your hand to experience pressure due to gripping onto an object too tightly, you can also do it less frequently. At the very least, you can remember to make it a habit to let your hand free if you start to feel that the pressure is too much.

Taking a small break that’s less than five minutes can do wonders for your median nerve.

3. Practice Hand and Arm Stretches

This tip is often advised to be done alongside taking short breaks. If you practice stretching your hands and arms after you type or write for some length of time, you’re preventing muscle cramps. If you properly do your exercises, then you aren’t putting your median nerve at risk of being pinched.

Conclusion

Since you need your hands to live life to the fullest, we hope you appreciate the tips laid out in this article.