Carpal Tunnel Advice From a Physio

Pregnancy and postpartum carpal tunnel causes pins & needles, numbness, pain, heat, tingling and weakness in the hands. The most common cause in pregnancy is increased swelling. It often goes away shortly after the birth however it can be very debilitating in pregnancy as it can impact sleep, hand function and can be quite painful.

There is lots that can be done to reduce the symptoms of carpal tunnel such as swelling management, exercises and massage techniques.

Here are some tips from a physiotherapist working in the women’s health space on how to manage carpal tunnel:
- Soak your hands in a bowl of warm water with 1/2 cup of magnesium salts at night time
- Spray magnesium on your hands and forearms throughout the day
- Use an ice pack on your wrists every couple of hours
- Wear tubi grip on your arms especially at night time (recommend size C- E depending on how bad the swelling is). You should be able to get this from your local physio or pharmacy
- Tape your arms with rock tape (check out this video on how)
- Elevate your hands on a pillow at night. You can use the long piece of the Sleepybelly pillow
- Wear a wrist brace at night time if needed

Watch this video on how to complete lymphatic drainage to reduce swelling in the hands in pregnancy. This can be done easily at home by yourself or with the support from someone else. Lymphatic massage can reduce carpal tunnel symptoms if the problem is excess swelling.

There are also a lot of exercises that may reduce the symptoms of carpal tunnel:

- Wrist circles x10 each way
- Prayer stretch 3x30 second holds
- Finger squeezes x10
- Shoulder blade squeezes x15
- Bent over rows x15
- Fan stretch x5-10 each side
- Toy soldier arms x5-10 each side
- Shoulder circles into W arms x5
- Shoulder shrugs x20
- Child’s pose x1 minute
- Thread the needle x5-10 each side
- Cat/ cow x5 each way
- Wrist flexion and extension with light weight x10 or hold in neutral for 45 seconds x 5

Watch this video here which explains these exercises in more detail.

I hope that helps!