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Practicing Massage And Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Hello everyone, I'd like to gather some insight from some massage therapists regarding my present situation. In a month I'm going to start school for massage. It's a program with multiple stages, each one lasting a few months, after each stage gaining the right to practice techniques that were covered up until that point.
The problem is that I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I did an EMG a few months back and I have a moderate phase of bilateral carpal tunnel in my left wrist and a light phase in my right. I just did ten sessions of electrotherapy with them, and I have ten sessions of therapy to address a slight problem I have with a curve in my spine. Afterwards, I'm going to return to the place where I did the electrotherapy to start a personalized therapy of kinetotherapy and possibly more electrotherapy I would presume.
I guess I'm just wondering if there's anyone here that practices that either has carpal tunnel syndrome or if they had it at one time, and just how much of a problem this will create with practicing. The idea is that, in the meantime, and even as I start to go to school and start using them more and more, I'll also be working to develop these muscles in my wrists to help prevent the cause of the problem and, subsequently, the pain.
I don't know, I guess I'm just interested in some conversation in general about this too because it's really important for me to start practicing, and I don't want to have this impede my ability to do so. Maybe someone knows some tips on ways I could do some self-massaging of these areas to help alleviate the problem as well?
Any input at all is appreciated, thanks! :)
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on
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http://www.mrtherapy.com/ Carpal tunnel is easily taken care of.....trust me.. And the best therapy for carpal tunnel is massage...So get that guys DVD and fix yourself... If you cant fix yourself... You cant fix anyone else...Get that guys carpal tunnel DVD.. Also from what I read... You arnt getting the right kind of therapy.(my opinion). You can fix yourself much quicker and easier...Really. That DVD will show you how. Read that guys website....he is all about curing your problem... The standard medical approach doesn't work. Its a simple solution.. simple.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on
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Carpal tunnel is very responsive to massage. A number of techniques will work. So as Gordon says, get working on yourself. I run a corporate on site massage business and since I started 12 years ago the places I am in have maintained a 97% reduction in soft tissue injuries compared to the year before starting. Massage works, how can we convince others if we don't use it ourselves?
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Yea Daniel, you mentioned that before...Thats freakin awesome...That just proves one of the main points of everything I have been trying to say in here.. That massage is a highly effective form of health care...And as far as carpal tunnel goes, there is nothing better.. Daniel thats so cool.. Obviously they dont teach this information to Medical doctors or chiropractors...But what gets me...a few years ago when I gave a brief lecture at a local massage school. As I was waiting to give my little talk...I thumbed through one of their text books...And in Big Red Letters I read..If you think you are getting carpal tunnel, go to a medical doctor for proper evaluation and care(NOT)... Gawd.. Our own profession doesn't even recognize itself( another major complaint of mine). As far as I'm concerned...You can look at Carpal Tunnel as Massage Deficiency Syndrome. Awesome work Daniel.
Daniel Cohen said:Carpal tunnel is very responsive to massage. A number of techniques will work. So as Gordon says, get working on yourself. I run a corporate on site massage business and since I started 12 years ago the places I am in have maintained a 97% reduction in soft tissue injuries compared to the year before starting. Massage works, how can we convince others if we don't use it ourselves?
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Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on
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Gordon, I love Massage Deficiency Syndrome! I think that probably covers several issues that people have.
Daniel - wow, you are doing good work for people!!
Willows - Gordon and Daniel have said things better than I could have; they have excellent comments/thoughts here. I would add, don't forget to get work on your shoulders and upper traps. Many times the issues that start carpal tunnel will be found there.
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Permalink Reply by Kathy Mackay on
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I completely agree with what has been written here. Start working on yourself. There is a terrific book by Clair Davies regarding self-care and Trigger Point Therapy. It is a great book and will help you work on your issues as well as help you learn to work on the issues your clients present. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook
Goodluck!!
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Permalink Reply by willows_of_saturn on
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Hey everyone, thanks for the great, encouraging replies! I'm going to look more into this, much more. I think I'll start by getting that The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, as it really sounds indispensable from the way everything appears on Amazon. I may look into that DVD as well...
Seriously, your replies have been really encouraging because I've been really concerned about the dire need to resolve this problem. The idea is that I'm already having problems now, in that washing dishes becomes extenuating (and my girlfriend loves to make all kinds of Chinese food and Indian food, requiring all sorts of dirtying of dishes), and I've basically had to stop playing guitar after many years because it's not enjoyable when you have these aches or you know that you have like ten minutes before you'll have to stop. The idea of embarking on a massage career while only just beginning to get into physical therapy for the problem seemed kind of worrisome.
And these replies have been a confirmation of my suspicions regarding the problem anyway. The #1 thing that my mind would arrive at when considering the likelihood of being able to do all these activities while now having this problem was that acrobats, like at Cirque du Soleil, spin around on their wrists and swing in the air. So I concluded it's all about developing the muscles properly and attaining a proper flexibility... because it's hard to imagine they are aching in pain while their life is depending on feeling completely in equilibrium. lol
And I'm greatly interested in practicing massage. I first got interested when I was giving my girlfriend massages and she realized I had a great knack at it. I guess it's because I have big hands that have developed a lot of dexterity and strength after so many years of playing bass guitar and guitar, and the fact that I put a lot of attention into detail and really paid attention to all of the subtle differences in how everything felt and used my intuition to understand how all the muscles and bones are in relation to each other... Plus I think I was going into trance while doing it. lol.
So I'm going to start experimenting with massaging them while I wait for that book and to find other resources... and of course I think you'll find me around these forums as I start to go to school and start to practice. Thanks a lot everyone! :)
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Not to rush back so soon, but I'm really excited as I'm finding out more about this. I did some reading about the median nerve and the path it travels from the spine to the wrist. It shouldn't come as any surprise, I think, that both my scalene muscles and pectoralis minor muscles are completely stretched and tight. The flexors are to a certain extent, but wow, if you could feel one particular part of the pectoralis minor... lol. And, of course, I've had poor posture with my shoulders and neck for awhile now.
It's amazing how you can forget something so crucial for so long. So check this out. When I first started to really feel like I was having a real problem with wrist ache, we went to visit this old doctor, a physical therapist I guess really. This is in Romania, by the way. So we went to this clinic of his, pretty old building, but it was completely packed of patients. He's working with people who have been in accidents to get them to walk again, stuff like that... We also did an X-ray of my wrists and hands to see if there was anything physical, and we take them too. He looked at them as an afterthought, but the first thing he did was have me squeeze his hands as hard as I could. I barely had any force as I should have, considering the size of my arms. He then did some pressing on various parts of my back and arms and of course where he pressed ached like crazy. He actually said that the pain in my wrists and hands is probably phantom, that the nerves are being pressed elsewhere. I didn't go to get treated there, which would have consisted of two hours a day for two-three weeks, because it was too far away, and just recently I've been able to start pursuing treatment. We moved and started a business in the meantime and my stuff fell to the back burner. lol.
Anyways, again, I guess I'm just posting again because I'm excited, I'll keep ya'll posted as things progress. I'll probably do more electrotherapy as a complement but in the meantime I'm going to do a lot of self-massage and see what results.
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Permalink Reply by Jenna Williams on
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Funny enough...I just posted something on my groups page this morning on carpal tunnel. If you like join: Healthy and Wealthy Massage Therapists.
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Excitement is good!!! The book is a tremendous source of information and is based on the works of Travell and Simons extensive work on Trigger Points. It is nicely illustrated and well written. I have taken the time to go through the book and hi-lite the pain referral patterns which make it easier to find specific information based on the pain a client presents. I believe you will find a great deal of relief in its pages.
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I joined your group. :)
I'm definitely going to get that book. I've been reading more into trigger points, from what I can find on the net, as they pertain to carpal tunnel symptoms, and I'm only finding more reason to get excited. Today I was working on massaging the muscles in my neck and around the arm pits, and the whole time my wrists were feeling pretty good. Then I read more about the common extensor tendon, and I started massaging there. Suddenly my wrist was aching in the specific way that it normally does. I really dug the near instant confirmation that I'm onto something there with this, that I actually found what seems to be the real source of the pain. I'm going to keep working these areas as well as, well, everything else reallly, and see just how much I can reduce these symptoms simply from this work alone.
Thanks again for all of your help, everyone!
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Work on your self in a way that hurts good....if you over do it...dont worry about it...back off a bit..but never stop working on it....and yea you found it...You dont need to know so much...Its a matter of just feeling the sore spots and working them in a way that hurts good...read all the books you want...but really learn on yourself.
willows_of_saturn said:I joined your group. :)
I'm definitely going to get that book. I've been reading more into trigger points, from what I can find on the net, as they pertain to carpal tunnel symptoms, and I'm only finding more reason to get excited. Today I was working on massaging the muscles in my neck and around the arm pits, and the whole time my wrists were feeling pretty good. Then I read more about the common extensor tendon, and I started massaging there. Suddenly my wrist was aching in the specific way that it normally does. I really dug the near instant confirmation that I'm onto something there with this, that I actually found what seems to be the real source of the pain. I'm going to keep working these areas as well as, well, everything else reallly, and see just how much I can reduce these symptoms simply from this work alone.
Thanks again for all of your help, everyone!
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Thanks for the tip on never stopping to work on it. I've been staying persistent on this and I've noticed a lot of change in my wrists and arms. I read some other posts you've made recently about trigger points, and I was wondering if you had any recommendations for the best ways to work them. I've been developing a kind of approach based on how things feel to me. I'll rub my forearms, starting from my wrists up until the elbow, on all sides, either with my knuckles or my fingertips, with long and consistent strokes, pressing moderately hard, depending on how things feel. I'm not putting my pressure at all though on the anterior side in the middle where the median nerve would be, because I understood that it's not a good idea. I'm pressing in one direction because I understood this helps release the built-up acids in a way that going back and forth doesn't permit.
I do the same thing from my elbow up into the rest of my arm, but not very far up. I'm doing the same kind of strokes across my chest as well, and into my arms, across the armpits, where I understand there can be a lot of problems. I'm also working to squeeze and stretch the muscles at the back of my neck, and a similar pressing stroke on the sides of my neck downwards. I'm also taking some time to do some more pressing in all of the sensitive areas around my elbows, both above and below.
I've still been having aches but I've also had the sentiment that things are changing, and that if I keep this up, it won't be long and I'll have improved things. But I was wondering if it sounds like I'm approaching this well or if there are things I should and/or shouldn't be doing? I have the impression that the problem is originating from my shoulders, I don't have good posture, and I'm trying to learn more about how to work with them. I start some physical therapy this week for my back, so I'm curious to see how improving things with it and my shoulders will help advance recuperation of my arms...
Thanks for any input! :)
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