One of my friends put up an early morning post on Facebook asking for suggestions with carpal tunnel pain that was keeping her awake. After I posted a lengthy response on her wall, I decided to write up a little blog post. I’ve been coping with carpal tunnel since 2008. I’ve seen a few different docs and done a lot of research. So, I’m just hoping what I’ve learned in the last few years can help someone else.

The most important thing is wearing wrist braces when you are doing whatever activities bother your carpal tunnel. It’s also recommended to wear them when you sleep (though I have a terrible habit of unconsciously taking them off). I tried a lot of different braces. Many are too bulky and restricting. My number one pick is the brand Futuro.

I have found something, however, that I prefer over wearing braces: spider tech tape. You saw many Olympians wearing it during the most recent games. It really works wonders. They make tape for different parts of the body, including the wrist, that’s already pre-cut to what works best in that area. It lasts for several days. Though, it can be a little more difficult for it to stay nicely on the inside of your palm since you use it so much for every daily task you do. You can wear the tape over the wrist (as pictured here) or under the wrist, which I find more effective for carpal tunnel pain. Though when I am really having a bad flare-up, I find it incredibly effective to use two pieces on one hand and have the tape both under and over the wrist. (Bonus: that helps the palm section stay in place longer). I find it a little too pricey for daily use, but whenever I have a bad flare up or am doing a wrist-intensive project, it’s worth every penny.

If your carpal tunnel is the result of working a lot at a computer (like me) you absolutely must have an ergonomic setup. This includes having an ergonomic mouse and keyboard. You should also have your keyboard on an adjustable tray (but take the writs supports off) that you can pull out and place so that your keyboard is basically right in your lap. Most work stations are set where you are lifting up to access the keyboard and that’s terrible for those of us with carpal tunnel. Your computer monitor should also be in front of you at a level that doesn’t require you to tilt your head up or down. Frequent breaks are essential as well (though I’ll admit to being really terrible about that).

For daily management of carpal tunnel, there are quite a few things that you can do. First of all, I discovered that there is excellent physical therapy available for carpal tunnel. None of the doctors mentioned this to me! I researched it on my own, and then had no problem getting a PT referral from my primary care physician. Daily exercises help strengthen the wrist and hands. If you don’t want to go the PT route, you can learn exercises yourself from The Carpal Tunnel Helpbook. There are other useful tips in the book as well.

I also discovered Topricin pain cream. It works best if you use it daily as recommended and don’t just wait for a flare up. Many of us use ice to calm down a flare-up. It’s a great option, and I discovered this ActiveWrap that is perfect to keep ice on the wrists in place. Paraffin wax was also recommended to me at one point. I personally didn’t find it as effective as the methods I’ve discussed above, but it really did feel good.

Well, I hope someone out there can find these tips useful. If you have some tips to share too, please include them in the comments! There are many approaches to dealing with carpal tunnel. I know surgery is an option, but I was told that if one continues doing the activity (in my case, typing) that flares up the carpal tunnel, surgery is only a temporary fix. Additionally, the above methods are great alternatives. I would definitely save surgery as a last resort.

Namaste.