MassageĪsk your partner to gently massage your hands and wrists, moving up towards your armpits, and then your shoulders, neck and upper back. Bear in mind that some movements can make CTS worse so stop if any stretches start to feel uncomfortable.
Begin by clasping one wrist with your other hand and massage it with a circular movement. There’s some evidence they help so they’re worth a try (IQWiG 2017, NHS 2018a). You may find hand exercises ease the pain. Leave them until they become wet, then repeat with fresh leaves. Wrap the leaves around your wrists to make a compress. There’s no harm in giving this trick a go if you want to! Use green or white leaves which should be wiped clean but not washed, and can be cooled in the fridge. While there is no evidence that cabbage leaves help ease swelling, some women swear by them. Others find a warm water bottle helps, so give both a try to see which works best for you. Some women find it helps to put their hands in ice-cold water or place a bag of frozen peas against their wrist for daytime discomfort. So ask your partner or a friend to help you, if you can.Īlternating between heat and ice has been shown to help relieve the symptoms of CTS (Laymon 2015). Anything that causes you to frequently bend your wrist or grip hard with your hands, such as carrying heavy shopping bags or pushing loaded trolleys, can cause CTS symptoms to flare up too (NHS 2018, NICE 2016). If you use vibrating tools for work or hobbies, or play an instrument, stopping or cutting down these activities may help. Or you could try hanging your affected arm over the side of your bed during the night to keep your wrist straight while you sleep. You can buy wrists splints online or from your pharmacist (NHS 2018a). How can I ease the pain of CTS?A wrist splint, worn at night while you sleep, helps to keep your wrists and hand straight and relieves the pressure in your carpal tunnel (NHS 2018a, NICE 2016). This will take the weight off your ribcage and breastbone, which may help to relieve pressure on the median nerve, which starts at your shoulder. Get fitted for a properly supportive maternity bra. You're more likely to develop CTS if a parent, brother or sister has it, and if you've had any previous injuries to your wrists (NHS 2018a). But for some mums, symptoms can last for up to a year after their baby is born (Ashworth 2016). It usually disappears after your baby's birth when the swelling goes down (Ashworth 2016). If you have CTS in one pregnancy, you’re likely to have it in later pregnancies (Lee and Hickenbottom 2018). It may be particularly painful at night (NICE 2016).ĬTS usually happens in your second trimester or third trimester (Lee and Hickenbottom 2018). It may be worse in the hand you use most often (your dominant hand) and in the first and middle fingers, though it may affect your whole hand. You may also find your grip is weaker and it's harder to move your fingers (Kothari 2018). This swelling ( oedema) squeezes a nerve, called the median nerve, that runs down to your hand and fingers. It happens when there is a build-up of fluid in the tissues in your wrist. What causes hand pain and numbness in pregnancy?If you have tingling, numb and painful hands during pregnancy, it may be caused by carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).ĬTS is common in pregnancy (Kothari 2018). Which complementary therapies can help with CTS?.How can I prevent the pain and numbness?.What causes hand pain and numbness in pregnancy?.
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