Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) happens for a reason. Everything does. And a "syndrome" is a collection of symptoms. Symptoms are your complaints. Natural therapies can help you heal your carpal tunnel symptoms. They can help you get rid of the reasons for your pain. Then your syndrome will go away!
Some of the benefits of natural therapies for CTS include: no surgery, no anesthesia, no recovery, no recurrence, whole body wellness and no side effects.

Natural therapies include ice, heat, Vitamin B6 and other supplements, natural anti-inflammatories, correcting your posture (that's a big one) and habits, massage and possibly night braces to prevent curling your wrists while you sleep. Natural therapies can be used along with conventional medical therapies and the sooner you start to correct the symptoms in your hand, wrist and arm, the more quickly you will heal.

When you sleep on your side or stomach, you can squeeze the nerves and blood vessels that serve your hand. Side-sleeping also causes shortened, tight muscles in the front of your body. All of these things can cause carpal tunnel symptoms. Sleeping on your back can help relieve symptoms because it allows your chest muscles to stretch and relax. The best pillow would be a smallish one that supports the natural curve in your neck. If you need a little height under your head to create comfort, then do that, too.

You can even make your own neck roll or pillow from fiberfill batting. You can get fiberfill batting at a fabric store. It's very inexpensive. If your neck is like my neck, it's not always the same. Having a few different pillows gives you options.

Massage can be very valuable for carpal tunnel symptom relief but every massage therapist is different. We have different personalities, outlooks, levels of confidence, training, skill levels and beliefs. Here are some questions that you can ask your potential massage therapist to determine whether you might like to work with him or her. See whether their answers make sense to you.

The questions are:

* What do you think are the most common causes of carpal tunnel syndrome?
* Will you be able to figure out the cause of my pain?
* Do you have a pain treatment strategy? (Where will you work and why?)
* What type of massage training did you have? (What did you learn in school or advanced training? Some schools are geared to therapy and pain relief; others to relaxation techniques.)
* What muscles are most likely involved in my specific situation? (This is easiest for the therapist to answer if she or he can see you.)
* How long do you think it might take for me to feel better?
* Will the massage hurt?

It is very possible there will be discomfort with massage and the reason is simple. Tight muscles just aren't used to being pressed into. It may be just a little uncomfortable, or feel like "good pain" (Yes! your body says. That means it's the appropriate place) or it may be quite intense. Some discomfort during or after therapeutic massage is generally unavoidable, but a good therapist will work within your tolerance level and explain why an area is tender.

Always give your massage therapist feedback. He or she wants to know how you are feeling, and also wants you to have carpal tunnel pain relief. You can also do self-massage.