3 reasons why Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is not due to your wrist

Do symptoms like pins and needles in your index, middle and part of your ring finger bother you, more so at night? Do you find them coming on whilst sitting at work typing or riding your road bike with your wrists resting on the handlebars?

You may have what is commonly referred to as ‘Carpal tunnel syndrome’ (CTS). Typically the diagnosis is based on the premise that the median nerve that causes the pins and needles gets trapped/restricted in the carpal tunnel. Traditional treatment typically involves splinting/wrist bracing, corticosteroid injections and extreme cases surgery.

However the question begs to be asked, is the problem actually in the wrist? There are three reasons why CTS may not be due to your wrist. If we look at where the median nerves runs through, one can appreciate that it actually can get entrapped in the following areas other than your wrist.

1.     Neck

2.     Armpit

3.     Forearm muscles

 If whatever reason the muscles in that region gets restricted, it can effect how well that nerve can slide causing it to get irritated and inflamed. The end result is your pins and needles.

While it is beneficial to work out the areas that have tightened up, just as importantly you need to know why it happened in the first place. The big players are things like poor posture, dysfunctional breathing patterns and old injuries that were treated correctly.

Active Release Technique (ART) is one of the techniques used at Kinetic Healthcare to effectively treat the soft tissue injuries that lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Neurokineteic Therapy (NKT) is an alternative technique that is utilised to address where the compensations in the body lie.  Stop wasting doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Book online below to finally sort your  carpal tunnel syndrome.

A trainers guide to finding a good practitioner

As a personal trainer, you take great pride in your work and want to give 110% to your clients. Going above and beyond your personal training requirements is something that you would be used to, so sending your clients to get treatment for an injury or body related problem doesn’t seem like a problem or is it? 

Time and time again having spoken with many personal trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, martial arts instructors etc. who are absolutely frustrated and angered that they are betrayed. Why? They did they right thing, referred their client to get treatment only to be told that they no longer can train. So the client either puts their membership on hold or completely cancels it. The other flip side is that the therapist takes it upon themselves to do the rehab solely and not work with the trainer, again leaving them out of the equation. 

As a health professional this is one of my main pet hates. First things first the exercise/exercise discipline did not cause the injury itself, more so the individual did not know how to control or execute it correctly at the right moment. So to tell someone to stop training altogether is ridiculous. A more appropriate approach would be to scale back the exercise or recommend an alternate. Avoiding the issue simply does not solve it. 

So from practitioner to personal trainer, here are some tips to find the right person for your clients.

1. Does he/she train or has trained in your sport/training style? This will help them understand the movements or exercise and what they can recommend to your client for alternative exercises. 

2. Do they have an understanding of rehabilitation. This is important, so that the two of you can work together. 

3. Does the practitioner contact you and advise you what they found with your client (diagnosis) and the action plan to get them fixed. This is really important, as a lack of communication may imply a lack of cohesion with you. 

Don’t be put off by a previous sour experience you may have had referring on your clients to get treatment. I can guarantee you that when you find a practitioner that is ethical, communicative and bloody good at what they do, your clients will love you for it and your business will thrive with the increased client retention rate.  

The Art In Active Release Technique

Tightness in ones body either due to injury or overuse will change the way you move, feel and perform. The tightness you feel is not necessarily related to tight muscles. Our bodies have something called 'fascia' that is meant to glide and assist movement between our muscles, ligaments tendons. If the fascia is unable to glide effecitively it can then cause your muscles to contract more than they need to. Change in contraction = change in function. With athletic training, overuse injuries are on top of the list. 

This is where Active Release Technique (A.R.T) is extremely powerful. Compared to traditional massage, A.R.T works when you work. That is, by mimicking the tissue/muscle or tendons movement and applying tension you can effectively strip the tightness away and allow the tissue to work in its normal functioning state. Active Release Technique has been shown to be beneficial in cases such carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, shoulder pain, sciatica, nerve entrapments including many other body movement disorders.

Below are the 5 benefits of Active Release Technique: 

1. Improved mobility in the body

2. Reduction in pain

3. Improved range of movement (ROM) 

3. Quick results

5. Improved performance and function

To find out more about A.R.T and its benefits  click here 

kinetic Healthcare  

Feel Better, Move Better, Perform