Yoga can be an excellent activity to combat the onset and progression of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).
When done correctly, it can be a valuable team mate to keep your wrists healthy.
If you have wrist pain and numbness and you are contemplating starting yoga, there is one main danger that you should be aware of and avoid.
For this article let's use the situation of mild CTS, meaning that you have mild pain and a nagging degree of numbness.
You are worried about things getting worse and are determined to do what it takes to get better.
You tell your yoga instructor that you have wrist issues, and s/he tells you to be easy on yourself and pay attention to your wellbeing.
You take your place on your mat and begin.
During Downward Facing Dog, Cobra pose, and others, you are very aware of your wrists.
You should be.
But yoga itself is not a danger.
It's how you go about it.
One major aspect of Carpal Tunnel is that your nervous system is on high alert for danger.
It is constantly watching out for you as best it can, and it will try to defend you against every threat in the only way it knows how to...
it tightens up and makes you hurt.
The one major danger you need to watch out for when doing yoga to make your wrists better (or for any other reason) is the danger of frightening your nervous system.
Never heard that before have you? How can scaring your nervous system be the biggest danger to your CTS? The Carpal Tunnel dynamic is a Downward Spiral of increasing tightness and pain.
This is all moderated and advanced by your nervous system.
If you stretch in such a way that the nervous system feels, or even senses it's about to feel, the nervous system will make you hurt more.
It's as simple as that.
If you do a gentle but determined yoga practice, your tissue will lengthen, and strengthen.
However, if you push too hard, and overstretch, or strain, or feel pain, your nervous system is going to clamp down and guard up, and make things worse.
A gentle practice is not necessarily better than a more aggressive practice.
The key factor is whether you are straining your hand, wrist, and forearm, in such a way the you feel pain, and/or your nervous system goes onto a higher level of defensive alert.
A higher level of defensive guarding is BAD.
You want to avoid it at all costs.
Every time your wrist area feel pain, your CTS gets worse.
Just like every day you spend at the keyboard, your CTS gets worse.
Curing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is totally doable.
It is always either getting worse, or getting better, and left to its own devices, it gets worse.
With your right intention, attention and help it can get better.
When done correctly, it can be a valuable team mate to keep your wrists healthy.
If you have wrist pain and numbness and you are contemplating starting yoga, there is one main danger that you should be aware of and avoid.
For this article let's use the situation of mild CTS, meaning that you have mild pain and a nagging degree of numbness.
You are worried about things getting worse and are determined to do what it takes to get better.
You tell your yoga instructor that you have wrist issues, and s/he tells you to be easy on yourself and pay attention to your wellbeing.
You take your place on your mat and begin.
During Downward Facing Dog, Cobra pose, and others, you are very aware of your wrists.
You should be.
But yoga itself is not a danger.
It's how you go about it.
One major aspect of Carpal Tunnel is that your nervous system is on high alert for danger.
It is constantly watching out for you as best it can, and it will try to defend you against every threat in the only way it knows how to...
it tightens up and makes you hurt.
The one major danger you need to watch out for when doing yoga to make your wrists better (or for any other reason) is the danger of frightening your nervous system.
Never heard that before have you? How can scaring your nervous system be the biggest danger to your CTS? The Carpal Tunnel dynamic is a Downward Spiral of increasing tightness and pain.
This is all moderated and advanced by your nervous system.
If you stretch in such a way that the nervous system feels, or even senses it's about to feel, the nervous system will make you hurt more.
It's as simple as that.
If you do a gentle but determined yoga practice, your tissue will lengthen, and strengthen.
However, if you push too hard, and overstretch, or strain, or feel pain, your nervous system is going to clamp down and guard up, and make things worse.
A gentle practice is not necessarily better than a more aggressive practice.
The key factor is whether you are straining your hand, wrist, and forearm, in such a way the you feel pain, and/or your nervous system goes onto a higher level of defensive alert.
A higher level of defensive guarding is BAD.
You want to avoid it at all costs.
Every time your wrist area feel pain, your CTS gets worse.
Just like every day you spend at the keyboard, your CTS gets worse.
Curing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is totally doable.
It is always either getting worse, or getting better, and left to its own devices, it gets worse.
With your right intention, attention and help it can get better.
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