Numb, Tingling Hands? Get Help With Yoga
Q. I have a 10-month-old and carrying him around is killing my hands and wrists. They frequently go numb and tingle. Are there any exercises I can do to make this go away? — Kelly
A. You may have carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway on the palm-side of your wrist. It’s surrounded by bones and ligaments and about as big as your thumb. This tunnel protects a main nerve to your hand, the median nerve, and nine tendons that bend your fingers. Numbness, pain and eventually, hand weakness, can occur when this nerve is compressed. Left untreated, permanent nerve damage and disability may result.
Diagnosis
Most doctors start with a detailed health history and physical exam. There are two simple clinical tests that may prompt he or she to order further nerve conduction testing. These are Phalen's maneuver and Tinel's sign. For Phalen's maneuver, flex your wrist to 90 degrees for one minute. If you start to feel symptoms, such as tingling, numbness or pain in your wrists and/or hands, then it’s considered positive for carpal tunnel syndrome. Tinel's sign is positive when tapping over the carpal tunnel activates these same symptoms.
Treatment
Initial treatment should be non-operative and overseen by a physician. This usually includes splinting of the wrist, vitamin B6 (ask your doctor for dosage), anti-inflammatory medications and possibly cortisone injections. Surgery is required only if these measures fail.
Rx: Upper Body Yoga
Don’t want to go under the knife? Try yoga to alleviate symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. The University of Pennsylvania Medical School conducted a randomized, single-blind, controlled study where they divided 42 employed or retired individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome. Half were assigned to a yoga group and the other half, the control group, did not receive any treatment, with the exception of wrist splints, the most common form of treatment. The yoga group took a 1.5-hour class twice a week. They performed simple postures designed to take each joint of the upper body through its full range of motion, stretching, strengthening and aligning the hands, wrists, arms and shoulders. After eight weeks, the yoga group had significantly less pain and greater hand strength compared to the control group.
The postures used in the program included:
1. Staff pose (dandasana) — Sit on chair, trunk upright, press hands into chair, press shoulder blades into back, move shoulders back and down.
2. Prayer position — Press palms and fingers together, stretch and bend fingers.
3. Arms overhead (urdhva hastasana) — Lift arms overhead, keep arms straight and shoulders down.
4. Arms overhead, fingers interlocked (parvatasana) — Same as above, clasp fingers, turn palms upward.
5. Chair twist — Sit sideways in chair with right side against back of chair. Place hands on back of chair, twist to the right using hands for additional support. Repeat on other side.
6. Mountain (tadasana) — Stand with feet together and hands at your sides. Feel your feet make contact with the floor. Tilt your pubic bone slightly forward. Raise your chest up and out, not quite at attention. Raise your head up and lengthen the neck by lifting the base of your skull toward the ceiling. Stretch the pinky on each hand downward, then balance that movement by stretching your index fingers. Push into the floor with your feet and raise your legs, first the calves and then the thighs.
7. 90-degree forward bend to wall — Stand with feet about hip width apart, raise arms overhead, bend at hips bringing hands to rest on wall.
8. Arms overhead with hands in prayer position — Stand in tadasana, raise arms to Tee position, turn palms up, then rotate arms in small circles, first forward then back. Lift arms straight overhead, join hands in prayer position, stretch up and look up at hands.
9. Dog pose with chair — Stand, feet hip width apart, facing the seat of a chair. Bend, placing palms on seat, shoulder width apart. Straighten arms and lift waist, hips and knees a few inches above the chair. Turn arms out and curve trunk back between them. Bring coccyx, sacrum and lumbar spine forward, keeping buttocks tight. Stretch front of body from the pubis. Raise sternum and ribs. Hold shoulders back. Press shoulder blades and dorsal spine in.
10. Hands in prayer behind back — Stand in tadasana, bring palms together behind back, fingers pointing down. Turn fingers up and raise as high as possible between the shoulder blades.
11. Relaxation
Hold each posture for about 30 seconds. Not sure how to perform these postures? Visit www.YogaJournal.com for complete descriptions and visuals.