Desk Exercises to Prevent Carpal Tunnel Injuries

If you spend most of your day at a computer or punching a ten-key, you may be at risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome. This is a chronic condition where the medial nerve, located at the base of the thumb, is compressed or pinched. There are exercises you can do at your desk to help prevent the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Stress Relief

• Sitting at a desk for hours at a time can lead to stress in the hands, arms, neck, shoulders and back, and carpal tunnel syndrome affects the wrists. You can help prevent it by releasing tension through your whole system. Take a moment every hour to do neck rotations and shoulder shrugs. By releasing tension, you may not feel the need to grip the pen so tightly. Shake your hands and fingers to loosen them up. Rotate your wrists in clockwise and counterclockwise directions to loosen the tendons leading from the wrist into the hand.

Dexterity Exercises

• Benefit from some simple dexterity exercises using a variety of desk items such as pens, paperclips or bus tokens. Try to manipulate these items with your fingers (not thumb), as a magician does, turning a coin from finger to finger. Don't feel bad if you aren't any good at this, it's a learned skill. But by just practicing the motion, you are forcing different muscles in your hands to pull tension away from the median nerve.

Squishy/Stretchy

• Other desk items that can help you prevent carpal tunnel syndrome are squishy stress balls and rubber bands. Squishy balls (in the shape of globes, people or other objects) are low-resistance squeezable items made to lighten spirits. If you don't have a squishy ball, it is worth the few dollars you will spend for one. Because it is low resistance, you can use the weaker little and ring fingers to squish the ball and improve strength in those muscles.

  A rubber band around two or more fingers builds strength. Wrap a rubber band around the fingers, then open the fingers as far as possible. If the rubber band is too loose, double it to create enough resistance. This is an activity that can greatly help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.