There are sever causes of pain in the thumb.  The particular pain in this video is caused by repetitive bending of the elbow.

Some activities that create the problem are window washing, house painting, drumming, violin playing, hammering, some cleaning activities, some assembly line work.

This is referred pain.  If you have pain when you push on the thumb, particularly the thick muscle at the base of the thumb, that is a different kind of problem and is caused by gripping.

Laptop Computers and Notebooks Don’t Lend Themselves to Comfortable Computing.

Laptops are ergonomic disasters.  You may not feel it now.  But down the road, prolonged use can lead to having your head stuck forward, rounded shoulders, neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain and more.

There are a few ways to use a laptop computer or notebook with less stress.

To Best Use This Site, Start at the Home Page.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome-What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You

Book Review.

Every year over 400,000 carpal tunnel release surgeries are performed in the United States alone! Yet, the likelihood of a medical professional even considering muscles as a cause of the numbness in your fingers is remote. This is a tragic oversight, and one that you will want to know about before you choose a treatment that can have serious negative results and side-effects.

Join Dr. Zev Cohen while he explains each muscle that impacts the structures of the hand and wrist, and the nerve that is the key to carpal tunnel syndrome. Some of these muscles are as far away as your neck and shoulder, yet they cause your fingers to go numb. In his easy-going manner, Dr. Cohen points out the dangers of the medications commonly given for carpal tunnel syndrome and why, if you buy this book, you have a 95% chance of avoiding carpal tunnel release surgery!

Julie Donnelly also demonstrates how you can make minor changes in your workspace to prevent additional strain on your muscles, and some easy stretches that you can do while you are at your computer.

Click Here

This could possibly be the most important book you have ever read!

And what you can do about it.

If you use weights or exercise machines where you are gripping weights or handles, you may needlessly be overusing the flexor muscles of the forearm (those muscles which close your fingers).

These tight muscles can pinch on one or more major nerves that enter the hand.

Watch the video:

To loosen up tight forearm muscles: Go to Self treatment techniques for the hand, wrist and forearm.

Another common problem you may have when using weighs, machines, or certain exercises (example: sit-ups, chin-ups, rowing) is tightening your neck muscles.

Keeping your neck relaxed may take concentration. But besides leading to neck pain, this can cause headaches, and (in some cases) pinching of major nerves that go into the hand, causing numbness or tingling in the hands and fingers.

If you are confused about where to go on this site, Start with the Home page.

As I mentioned in False Carpal Tunnel from Tight Pectoralis Minor – if that muscle is tight it can cause the shoulders to round forward and create pain between the shoulder blades. 

If very tight, it can cause numbness or tingling in your fingers, hands, and even up you arm.  If very tight it can also pinch an artery leading to the hands, causing poor circulation in them.

One way to tell if the Pectoralis Minor is causing the numbness in your fingers is to raise your arm.  If after a few minutes the numbness your numbness is worse and if lowering the arms makes it better, the problem is most likely a tight pectoralis minor muscle. 

If you get numb hands riding a bicycle, motorcycle, driving, or doing anything else where your arms are somewhat up — BUT lowering them relieves them — look to the pec minor.  Forearm muscles are also frequent culprits as well, but with them it doesn’t make any difference in the feeling whether your arms are up or down.

However unless you loosen the pec minor, your hands could become numb most of the time.

Because most of us work with our arms in front of us.  This muscle is usually tight on almost everyone.  But seldom do we feel any pain there.  Because they pull the shoulders forward, the muscles between the shoulder blades (the rhomboids) are continually fighting to keep your shoulders back. 

The solution is to loosen the pectoralis minor (First go to:  False Carpal Tunnel from Tight Pectoralis Minor) then watch the video below. 

The other thing to do is strengthen the muscles of your upper back.  (I’ll get to that another time).

This video shows stretches for the Pectoralis Minor.

This short video is part 2.  Please see the previous post for part 1. 

This video shows a self-massage (with the elbow of the opposite arm) of the carpal tunnel ligament.  Plus a stretch for the carpal tunnel ligament and some of the forearm muscles.

Note:  When I mention using cold water from a bottle in the refrigerator, I meant pouring the water SLOWLY over the wrist and forearm.  (over a sink, of course, or outside).

Use a bottle size that is easy to handle – like a half liter or liter bottle. 

Whether using ice or cold water, you want to your skin to feel cold to touch.  If that takes 30 seconds or if that takes longer than that, that’s all you need.

 Cold is an natuaral anti-inflamitory without any side affects.  It also helps bring the white blood cells to the area – which is beneficial in healing.

WARNING:  If you have a medical condition where you are told not to get your extremities cold, then don’t.

I will have a post on how and why to ice at another time.

If you use your hands for just about anything – whether a musical instrument, washing windows, computer use, cutting hair, carpentry, bagging groceries, or whatever – chances are you have tight forearms.

The forearm muscles control most of the movement in the wrist and fingers.

This video shows excellent self-help techniques that will help prevent, relieve and  carpal tunnel syndrome, false carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow (you don’t have to play tennis or golf to get them), and numbness in fingers in hands.

You should FIRST watch the video What you should know about the hands wrist and forearm.

If you want your forearms, hands and fingers to feel normal again, watch this video.

Correction: in the above video when I said that the tight thumb muscles didn’t cause pain, I meant in the rest of the hand.  Tight thumb muscles definitely can cause thumb pain.

Part 2 – comming to the next blog.

Do you have numbness, tingling, and/or pain in your hand, fingers, wrist, forearm or elbow?

You can do something about it.  No drugs, no side effects, no shots, no surgery.

But first you need to understand what is going on.

How you use your hands can contribute hand numbness, carpal tunnel, tendinitis (tendonitis), repetitive stress, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, hand weakness and pain. 

Watch this Video. 

Part 1

  Part 2

After you are done with this page, Go To Self-Help Techniques for the Hand, Wrist and Forearm

Forearm tightness is much more common a problem causing hand problems than carpal tunnel syndrome.  And using your hands in non-ergonomic ways can lead to tendinitis in the elbow region.  

You saw the neutral position for the hand as it relates to the forearm in the video.  Whenever possible, keep your hand in the neutral position.  When using a mouse, keyboard, etc., try to not flex or extend your wrist.  Your hands should float over the keyboard.  Your wrists should never be touching anything while you are typing. 

Wrist rests are to use when you are not typing.   They are for resting your hands on (little finger side down) when you are not typing.  Your hands should float above the keyboard.  The back of your hands should be in a straight line with the forearm. 

Wrong use of wrist rests can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, forearm tightness, tendinitis, etc.

 Confused about where to navigate on this site? Go to the Home page.