Dealing with Tendinitis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)

Are your hands hurting from typing too much? CTS and/or Tendinitis is probably the most dreaded sufferings for people that work a lot with computers, like me. If left alone it can even become chronic, and you really don't want that.

I've had CTS in both hands and arms for years, and I think I've finally have figured out a way to make it a lot better (if not completely gone), that I really want to share.

First of all, don't expect a quick-fix. It requires persistent and focused effort over time, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible. My reason for writing this is the hope that others can learn from my mistakes, and have an easier time dealing with it than I've had.

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Step 1: Stretch your hands and arms daily

I came across the following video years ago, and it was groundbreaking for me at the time. I started doing these stretching exercises every day, and my hands very quickly got a lot better.

But this alone will not fix it...

Stretching is all well and good, but it doesn't help much if you don't exercise those muscles in addition.

Step 2: Exercise your hands and arms regularly

If you don't exercise regularly (like me until recently) it is a good time as any to start. Start out easy and try to focus at least some of the exercise on your hands/arms. In the long term you'd ideally develop a balanced training program that works for you.

Here's a couple of exercises that I have particularly good experience with:

• Push-Ups and
• The yoga pose "table" (do a search online if you're uncertain what it looks like)

Now, before you go ahead and start doing these, be aware of the following:

And this is one is super important, folks!

• Whenever you put weight on your hands (always, not only in these exercises), the weight should always go straight down through your index finger knuckle. Your index finger knuckle should be so tightly pressed to the floor/mat that you can't even get a sheet of paper under there. NEVER let it rise up! If you do, you risk further injury. (source: A yogi with 10+ years experience)
• Activate your hands and fingers. Spread them out! Take your time when placing your hands on the floor, and make sure to activate and spread your fingers as far apart as you can.

Step 3: Motivation - Actually go through with it

This has always been my biggest problem. Staying consistent and motivated in my exercise routine has been my weakness for a very long time. Recently, however, fellow steemian @steemmatt started something that he called The Steemit Daily 100+ Rep Fitness Challenge, a great community project that has helped me a lot with my motivation. The way it works is that each contestant post a daily exercise summary in the daily post (today's post), and receive motivating comments and upvotes from the other participants. He even keeps track of all your results and includes them in the daily post, along with a (custom) positive comment about your progress.

Step 4: Repeat! Don't quit when you're feeling better

The biggest pitfall of them all, and I know it all too well. Don't quit when you're ahead, just keep going!

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I'm proud to say that I've been exercising regularly since (almost) the beginning of this year, and that it has made my hands and arms significantly better. They do still hurt a bit, but it's only been 10-12 days after all. I'm absolutely certain that I will be rid of this completely at some point.

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Disclaimer: I'm not a health professional and this is based solely on my own experiences. I honestly believe this information can be useful for many, but if you have serious issues with your hands and arms you'd probably seek help from a professional before taking any action.