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You just completed a long blissful session of binge writing and are now enjoying the well-earned benefits of your work. Perhaps you finished that novel or are at least one step closer to completion, but along with your feelings of accomplishment you experience hand, wrist, or forearm pain. A trip to the doctor results in a diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome and you now must choose between a variety of treatments including medications, wrist supports and, for severe cases, surgery. If only you could have avoided this malady in the first place. Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to protect your priceless human writing instruments.

Carpal tunnel is an inflammation of a nerve in the hand called the median nerve. The nerve passes through the wrist in a small compartment called the carpal tunnel. If the pressure inside the tunnel increases the nerve reacts by becoming inflamed. This is caused by inflammation of the forearm tendons that also pass through the tunnel. Other causes include fluid pressure build-up such as in pregnancy.

Many carpal tunnel sufferers make three big mistakes that really adversely affect their healing.

Mistake Number One: Make Sure You Really Have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

There are a number of conditions that cause hand pain and numbness. For example a nerve on the little finger side (ulnar nerve) can become irritated. If you’ve ever struck your “funny bone” at your elbow you’ve felt your ulnar nerve. Another condition causes pain and swelling in the thumb tendons located in the wrist area. Getting a diagnosis from a competent licensed health care practitioner will go a long way in helping you heal.

Mistake Number Two: Get Treatment Early

This sounds simple but it is surprising how many people wait until the later stages of the disease until getting treatment. They attempt to wait out the disease hoping it will resolve on its own. This often results in progression of the disease.

One of the first signs of carpal tunnel is night numbness in the hands, particularly in the thumb and first three fingers. The numbness is not relieved by changes in position. Treatment at this stage is usually very successful. More severe cases require more treatment, especially if the numbness has turned to constant pain.

Mistake Number Three: Eliminate the Cause

Carpal tunnel results from overuse of the wrist tendons. It is important to set up your workstation to reduce as much stress as possible. If you do a lot of keyboarding it is helpful to adjust your seat so that your feet are flat on the floor, elbows close to your sides, and wrists as straight as possible. One of the worst positions is keyboarding with your wrists bent at the sides. Health care practitioners call this position ulnar deviation and it becomes worse as the elbows move sideways away from your body. If you use arm rests be careful they are not too far apart. Take frequent breaks and perform some wrist stretches by gently bending your wrist backwards with the other hand and holding (not forcing) this position for about 30 seconds. Repeat two more times.

Non-Medical Treatments

Chiropractors and physical therapists offer a variety of drugless treatments. These treatments may include additional exercises, splints and therapies such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation. Acupuncture can also be an effective treatment and certain nutrients seem to help as well. These substances are very safe but it is recommended to check with your doctor before taking any nutritional or herbal supplements. These include:

Vitamin B6

Magnesium

Natural Anti-inflammatory substances such as:

Bioflavinoids

Tumeric

Ginger

Boswellia Serrata

Trypsin

Chymotrypsin

You can find many of these substances at vitamin or health food stores.

Carpal tunnel can be a serious problem with serious solutions such as steroid injections or surgery. However, you can do your best to avoid a painful and costly problem and continue to enjoy your writing experience.